Syncing Booking.com and Traveloka calendars so a room never sells twice
HostBooking · · 7 min read
Booking.com can import an outside calendar by iCal and re-reads it every 2 hours, but only for single-unit room types. Traveloka publishes no iCal guide for TERA. So the method depends on room count: a few homes can use iCal into Booking.com, emails for Traveloka and manual closing in TERA; several identical rooms call for a channel manager.
Two hotel-style OTAs, two levels of support
Booking.com and Traveloka both work by room type and room count, like hotels. Booking.com offers iCal calendar sync with strict conditions. For Traveloka we found no official documentation on iCal links in TERA; every connection guide goes through a channel manager. So here Booking.com is the side that can "listen" to a calendar, and Traveloka is the side updated by hand or by a channel manager.
| Booking.com | Traveloka (TERA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Import outside calendar | Yes, Rates & Availability → Sync calendars | Not found in official docs |
| Export calendar | Yes, link contains "/ical/" | Not found in official docs |
| Refresh of imports | Every 2 hours, plus Import now | Not applicable |
| Conditions | Up to 20 types, one unit each, no connectivity provider | Channel manager connection enabled by Traveloka |
| Booking emails HostBooking reads | Yes | Yes |
Pick a method by room count
| Situation | Method |
|---|---|
| A few homes, one per room type | Booking.com imports your central calendar by iCal; Traveloka emails create bookings; close each Booking.com stay in TERA by hand |
| Room types with several identical rooms | Booking.com refuses iCal and Traveloka has none: use a channel manager connected to both |
| Not ready for a channel manager | Divide rooms between channels, or open fewer rooms on Traveloka than you have |
Keep a buffer room on Traveloka
When you update Traveloka by hand you are always behind the latest booking. One way to cut the risk: with four doubles, open only three on Traveloka. The fourth is a buffer: if a Booking.com stay has not been closed in TERA yet, a Traveloka guest still has a room. You sell slightly less on Traveloka and rarely have to relocate anyone. When only one room is left on a night, close that night on Traveloka altogether.
Setting up for a few homes
- In HostBooking, open Calendar → Sync OTAs (iCal). Add each room’s Booking.com calendar link (from Sync calendars, export part, Copy link) and set the channel to Booking.com.
- Copy HostBooking’s link for Booking.com. On Booking.com: Rates & Availability → Sync calendars → Add calendar connection on the right room, paste the link, name it, click Next step, then Done.
- Wait for Okay, then click Import now so Booking.com reads it straight away.
- Under Booking emails from OTAs, create the address and set a filter forwarding Traveloka and Booking.com emails to it. Traveloka bookings then block the room on your calendar, and Booking.com sees it on its next read (within 2 hours).
- For each Booking.com booking, close the nights in TERA as soon as it arrives.
- Test with a dummy stay on the calendar: does Booking.com close the right dates after Import now?
Booking.com offers Request to Book to eligible properties: the guest sends a request and you approve it before it is confirmed. If you have it, it gives you time to close the room in TERA before accepting a Booking.com guest.
What iCal and email do not carry
- The iCal link into Booking.com has booked dates only, no Traveloka prices or guest names.
- Nothing flows into TERA on its own: prices, availability and closures are done in TERA or by a channel manager.
- Booking emails bring names and prices into HostBooking, not into the other OTA.
Checklist against double bookings
- Booking.com shows Okay for each room.
- At least one real Traveloka email has become a booking on your calendar.
- A buffer room on Traveloka, or rooms divided by channel.
- Whoever is on duty knows the "close in TERA" step after each Booking.com booking.
- If you switch on a channel manager, remove the iCal connection on Booking.com first: Booking.com does not allow both.
If a double booking still happens
Booking.com: move the guest to a room of the same type or better if one is free; if not, find comparable or better accommodation elsewhere and pay for it, ideally including transport. Contact Booking.com to mark the reservation as a double booking. Commission is still charged unless the property has been live under 30 days or has had no more than four double bookings in 12 months.
Traveloka: we found no public partner rule on double bookings. Tell your Traveloka account contact at once, offer the guest a comparable place nearby, and check your partner agreement.
On HostBooking
OTA calendar sync reads Booking.com’s calendar every 5 minutes, reads Booking.com and Traveloka booking emails, keeps every booking on one calendar and warns you when a night is double-booked. HostBooking does not update TERA for you. See also the iCal sync guide and the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can Booking.com read my Traveloka calendar?
Not directly, since we found no official Traveloka iCal link. Instead, turn Traveloka booking emails into bookings on a central calendar and let Booking.com read that calendar every 2 hours.
I have 5 identical rooms. What should I do?
Booking.com refuses iCal for multi-unit types and Traveloka has no iCal, so a channel manager is the only automatic route. Until then, divide rooms by channel or keep a buffer room on Traveloka.
What is a buffer room?
Opening fewer rooms on Traveloka than you really have, say 3 of 4. The spare room covers the time before you close a night by hand.
What happens with a Booking.com and Traveloka double booking?
On Booking.com you must find comparable accommodation and pay for it, and commission may still apply. On Traveloka, contact your account contact straight away.