How to synchronize a Cities Reference and Rental Systems calendar

There are two ways to synchronize a Cities Reference and Rental Systems calendar. This article will discuss both options.

Option A: Exchange ICAL files directly with each other

The following method of syncing your Cities Reference and Rental Systems calendar together won't cost you anything, however it comes with some drawbacks including the risk of a double booking due to the delay between syncing of the two calendars which is delayed 2 hours or more. Some channels (eg: Trip Advisor) have a daily quota on the number of times its ICS file can be called. This becomes an issue if you have more than one channel calling a specific channel's calendar throughout the day (eg: VRBO, Airbnb & Trip Advisor). The chance that the daily quota is reached and the calendar no longer updates for the remainder of the day increases as the number of channels you list with go up. If you are listed with 3 or more channels, you run this risk.

Step 1: Grab the ICAL file from Cities Reference

1. Log in to your Cities Reference account.
2. Choose your rental listing you want to get the calendar for.
3. On the calendar page (should load by default), you'll see a title called Export Calendar. Copy the link you see below. This is the calendar file you need.

Step 2: Paste the Cities Reference ICAL link into Rental Systems

1. Log in to your Rental Systems account.
2. Make sure you are on the correct rental listing (if you have more than one listing) and click the Calendar link on the left.
3. Select the Manage your calendars dropdown and choose Import Calendar.
4. Paste the link you copied into the Calendar URL field, name your calendar and click Import.

Step 3: Grab the ICAL file from Rental Systems

1. Log in to your Rental Systems account.
2. Make sure you are on the correct rental listing (if you have more than one listing) and click the Calendar link on the left.
3. Select the Manage your calendars dropdown and choose Export Calendar.
4. Here you will find a link to the Rental Systems calendar. Copy this link. This is the calendar file you need.

Step 4: Paste the Rental Systems ICAL link into Cities Reference

1. Log in to your Cities Reference account.
2. Choose your rental listing you want to get the calendar for.
3. On the calendar page (should load by default), you'll see a button called Import Calendar. Click on this link.
4. Choose the appropriate source, or just select the Other option.
5. Paste the link you copied into the box and click the Import button.

Option B: Use a Channel Manager

Rental owners and managers use a channel manager like RentalBell to streamline the management of their rentals, especially if they are listed on multiple travel sites. RentalBell actively syncs multiple calendars, including Cities Reference and Rental Systems, so the risk of double bookings are eliminated. By having one channel management system communicate with any particular channel, the risk or prematurely reaching the daily ics call limit is eliminated. RentalBell also manages other aspects of a rental's calendar including the availability window and preparation time between bookings. The cost is $5.99/month per rental and includes unlimited channels, analytical graphs, embeddable calendar widgets for personal rental websites, 24/7 support, and more.