Showing your holiday home's availability on your own website

Why show availability on your own website

Guests who enquire with you directly are the most valuable guests. They call or email because they already know your property, they ask about a specific period, and if you can answer quickly and clearly, they book. An availability calendar on your own website makes that process a lot smoother.

If you are only on Airbnb or Booking.com, you pay a commission on every booking. On your own website you do not pay that commission. Direct bookings are therefore cheaper for you and sometimes for the guest too, if you are willing to share that advantage.

But there is a practical obstacle: guests want to know whether the property is free for their preferred period before they contact you. If they have to guess what is available on your website, many people give up and go to a platform that does show that information.

How an embed calendar works

An embed calendar is a piece of code that you place on your website. That bit of code loads an iframe, a window within your website that shows the content of an external source. In this case your availability calendar.

The calendar that is shown is the public view of your Rentiplanner calendar. It shows occupied, free and option, but no names or notes. Visitors to your website see exactly what is available, and nothing more.

As soon as you change a booking in Rentiplanner, that change is immediately visible on your website. You do not have to do anything extra for it.

How to set up the embed

In Rentiplanner you go to the settings of your calendar. Under the "Embed" tab you find a code fragment that looks like this:

<iframe src="https://www.rentiplanner.com/embed/[your-calendar-id]" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0"></iframe>

You copy that code fragment and paste it on the page of your website where you want to show the availability. Exactly how you do that depends on the tool you use to manage your website:

• WordPress: Add an HTML block in the page editor and paste the code into it.
• Wix: Use the "Embed HTML" or "Embed code" element and paste the code into the box.
• Squarespace: Add a "Code" block to your page.
• Webflow: Use the "Embed" element in the editor.
• Static HTML: Paste the code directly into your HTML file at the spot where you want the calendar.

Where to put the calendar on your website

The most logical spot is the page of the property itself, or a separate page "Availability" or "Calendar". Guests who visit your website go looking for photos, a description and availability. If those three things are clearly present, they have everything they need to contact you.

Consider placing the calendar next to your contact form or your phone number as well. That way an interested guest can check availability and get in touch straight away on the same page.

The benefits at a glance

An availability calendar on your own website has a number of concrete benefits compared with relying on external platforms only:

• No commission. Every direct booking earns you more than a booking through Airbnb or Booking.com.
• Direct contact. You communicate directly with your guest, without a platform in between.
• Fewer back-and-forth emails. Guests can see for themselves what is free, without having to ask. That sets expectations and saves time.
• A professional look. A website with up-to-date availability looks a lot more professional than a website where guests are left in the dark.
• No platform risk. Platforms can make decisions that affect your rental activity: higher commissions, changed rules, or a temporary suspension. Your own website with direct bookings gives you more control.

What guests see

The public calendar shows three statuses: occupied (red), option (yellow) and free (green). Guest names and notes are never visible to visitors. That way you protect your guests' privacy and at the same time give a clear picture of the availability.

The calendar adjusts automatically to the screen size. On a phone it is just as clear as on a computer.

Combining with iCal

If your availability is also synced with Airbnb and Booking.com through iCal, the embed calendar on your website is always in sync with the rest. A booking through Airbnb automatically blocks the period in your central calendar, and that blocked period is immediately visible on your website. You do not have to update anything manually.

Getting started

Rentiplanner offers the embed feature in the free plan. You create an account, fill in your calendar, and copy the embed code to your website. Done. Your website shows availability and your guests know straight away what is free.