Setting Up Booking Import

Setting Up Booking Import

Staykey imports bookings through iCal — that's the primary path and it works with Airbnb, VRBO, and any other platform that publishes an iCal feed. Once iCal is in place, you can optionally add email forwarding for Airbnb and VRBO to enrich those stays with details iCal doesn't carry (like the guest's first name and the last four digits of their phone number).

Just hosting on Airbnb? The Connecting your Airbnb calendar guide is a more focused, Airbnb-specific version of this article with the exact screen flow. Come back here if you host on multiple platforms.

Step 1: iCal feed import (required)

iCal (iCalendar) feeds are how Staykey learns about every booking.

Setting Up iCal Import

1. In your Staykey dashboard, navigate to your property settings
2. Click on "Integrations" to open the property's integration page
3. Click "Add Integration" and select "Calendar" or "iCal"
4. Get your iCal feed URL from your booking platform:
   • Airbnb: Go to Calendar → Sync calendars → Export calendar → Copy the iCal link
   • VRBO: Go to Calendar → Calendar sync → Export calendar → Copy the iCal link
   • Other platforms: Look for "Export calendar," "iCal export," or "Sync calendar"
5. Paste the iCal URL into Staykey
6. Click "Save" or "Connect"

How it works

Once connected, Staykey will:

• Automatically check your calendar for new or updated bookings
• Create stays for each booking
• Generate unique access codes for each stay
• Create guest links that you can share
• Update stays if booking dates change

Step 2 (optional): Email forwarding for Airbnb and VRBO

iCal is great for dates, but it's a thin feed — it usually doesn't include the guest's name or phone number. If you want Staykey to fill those details in, set up email forwarding for Airbnb or VRBO bookings.

We only support email forwarding for Airbnb and VRBO today. If you'd like to see it for another platform, drop us a feature request in the Staykey community or through the contact form.

Setting up email forwarding

1. In your Staykey dashboard, navigate to your property settings
2. Click on "Integrations" to open the property's integration page
3. Click "Add Integration" and select "Email" or "Email Forwarding"
4. Copy the unique Staykey email address provided
5. In the inbox that receives your booking confirmations, create a forwarding rule that auto-forwards each new booking email to the Staykey address:
   • Airbnb: Airbnb doesn't expose a native "forward booking emails" toggle, so you set this up as an inbox-side rule. In Gmail, Outlook, or your provider of choice, filter on emails from [email protected] with a subject containing "Reservation confirmed" and forward matching messages to the Staykey address. The step-by-step is in Connecting your Airbnb calendar.
   • VRBO: Filter on emails from [email protected] (or the confirmation-sender domain VRBO uses for your account) with a subject containing the booking confirmation language VRBO uses, and forward matching messages to the Staykey address.
6. When the next booking email arrives, Staykey parses it and enriches the matching iCal-created stay

What gets parsed

Staykey can extract from booking confirmation emails:

• Guest details: Guest name, and (for Airbnb) the last four digits of the guest's phone number — used as the guest's smart-access code when available
• Stay information: Booking reference number, confirmed check-in/check-out, property address
• Financial data: Booking revenue, fees, and payment information

If email forwarding isn't set up (or the booking came from a platform we don't parse), stays still get created from iCal — guest names fall back to a generic label and smart access codes fall back to a random four-digit code.

Verifying Import

After setting up booking import:

• Create a test booking in your calendar or send a test email
• Wait for the import to process (timing depends on your sync schedule)
• Verify the stay appears in your Staykey dashboard
• Check that the dates, guest information, and financial data are correct

Supported Platforms

Staykey supports booking import from:

• Airbnb (iCal required; email forwarding optional for enrichment)
• VRBO (iCal required; email forwarding optional for enrichment)
• Any other platform that publishes an iCal feed (iCal only — email enrichment not yet supported)

Need Help? If you encounter issues with booking import, check our troubleshooting guide.