FattoreiCal or channel manager? How to avoid double bookings
Updated 12 October 2026
In short. iCal is a link between calendars that only passes booked dates, and not instantly: Airbnb, for example, refreshes imported calendars every 3 hours. A channel manager connected via API updates availability, prices and rules almost in real time. With a few rooms and a couple of portals iCal can be enough; with more channels and instant booking, the risk of double bookings grows.
Room 3 sold twice, for the same weekend, on two different portals. Anyone who has run an agriturismo for a few years knows that phone call. Usually nobody is to blame: it's the time that passes between one calendar and the next.
What is iCal, in practice?
It's a link to a calendar file. Booking gives you theirs, Airbnb gives you theirs: you paste one into the other and the portals swap booked dates.
What gets through: blocked dates. What doesn't: prices, guest names, number of guests, minimum stay, restrictions.
Why can iCal cause double bookings?
Because it isn't instant. Each portal reads the other calendars at intervals. Airbnb states that its calendar refreshes automatically every 3 hours. Other portals have their own timing.
An example. At 10:05 a Booking reservation comes in for Saturday. Airbnb sees it on its next read, say at 12:30. If someone books the same room on Airbnb in between, you have two guests for one bed.
What does a channel manager do differently?
A channel manager connects to the portals directly (API). As a result:
- updates are almost real-time;
- prices, minimum stays and restrictions get through too;
- you change everything in one place, not portal by portal.
The flip side: it has a monthly cost and needs setting up properly.
When is iCal enough, and when isn't it?
| iCal can be enough if | Better a channel manager if |
|---|---|
| you have few rooms or apartments | you have several rooms of the same type |
| you use one or two portals | you're on three or more portals, plus your website |
| you accept booking requests | you use instant booking |
| your prices rarely change | you often change prices and minimum stays |
Sticking with iCal? Four tips
- Keep one master calendar and link the others only to it. Avoid chains (A reads B which reads C): every step adds delay.
- In peak periods, consider booking on request.
- When you take a booking by phone, block it on every portal straight away.
- Check your calendars every morning, with your coffee.
Where does Fattore come in?
Fattore is not a channel manager and doesn't manage bookings. It reads them, though: from the iCal calendars of Booking, Airbnb or your management system, or through a direct connection to your channel manager. So you know who's arriving, which rooms to prepare and what goes on the bill. Which channel managers are already connected and which are coming is on the integrations page. If you don't have a channel manager yet, we're happy to suggest one.
Frequently asked questions
How often does Airbnb's iCal calendar update?
According to Airbnb's help centre, every 3 hours.
Does iCal sync prices too?
No. Only booked dates.
Does a channel manager eliminate double bookings completely?
It reduces them a lot, because it updates almost in real time. You still need to enter bookings taken outside the portals straight away.
Want to see how Fattore reads your bookings? Try the live demo: a sample agriturismo with real-looking data, so you can click through rooms, bills and guest registrations without signing up. Prefer a guided tour? Book a 30-minute call.
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