Frequent user: How to add a new accommodation and connect it with my portals

Perhaps you are already using Smoobu - it's been some time since you set up your account, and now you have a new property to add but can't recall the process? Not to worry, here we’ll explain those initial set-up steps again.

Create accommodation

First of all: In Smoobu an 'Accommodation' is a bookable unit. Be it rooms, houses, apartments, cabins or villas. Can your guests choose to stay in a room? Well, then that is the unit's name that you should enter in Smoobu.

1. Go to Settings – Accommodation and enter the unit's name. In our example, Villa Mary.

If you rent your entire property and also its sub-units, you must create this structure in Smoobu. Click here to see the step by step.

Now that you have added the new accommodation, let’s connect it with the booking portals.

Connect a new accommodation to a booking portal

You already have your other units connected to the portals, but you must synchronize this new one. For that, we will edit the configuration of your portals in Smoobu and thus add the new property to your existing cast.

2. Go to Settings – Booking Portals. Under the heading “My Portals” you will see the portals you have added so far.

3. Click on Edit and repeat the indicated steps to connect. You must do this for each of the portals in which you’ve listed your new unit.

4. For Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda do not forget to map the rate plans to be synchronized. How? Go to Settings – Portals – Price synchronization. Select the rate to be synchronized (Standard rate or the first one from the drop-down menu).

Enter your direct bookings and blocked periods

Remember, your main calendar is Smoobu. If you have periods that should not be available for booking (either because of maintenance, phone bookings or other reasons) you should inform Smoobu. Do it with the “Enter booking” button – available in every Smoobu screen – located in the upper left corner in desktop version and in the lower right corner in the mobile APP.

Recommended additional steps 

Request an initial availability push (Highly recommended)

Now you just have to check that your Smoobu calendar is complete. 

A complete calendar includes: all booking portal bookings, direct bookings and blocked periods showing in Smoobu (in the Cockpit Calendar or in the Bookings list). 

Option 1) NEW: For Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia you may use the Availability settings for this step. Head to Smoobu Calendar - Settings - Availability settings. More info here

Option 2) Alternatively, please send us an email at [e-mail] for us to replicate your Smoobu calendar on your connected booking portals for 2 years (or the maximum allowed by the portal). We highly recommend this to reopen an auto-closed calendar or if your listing is new to a certain booking portal. Read more about how Smoobu works with availability

Set up self-managed availability for Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia 

In case you used option 2) above and asked the Smoobu team to open your availabilities for the next 2 years, you may feel 2 years ahead is too far in advance.

Not to worry, You can now also self-manage availability.

Relative days aka rolling availability (for example always be bookable for 90 days in advance)

Or, choose to be bookable until a Fixed date. 

More info here

Make sure you've got prices across all portals

Smoobu can start running working with your pre-existing prices - the ones you had entered on the different booking portals prior to connecting to Smoobu. We will not overwrite any of this information. 

However, if you are new to some portals they might not make your property LIVE until you set your prices. If that's your case, then you should take a look to the following pricing guide. 

Important: If you set pricing before connecting to your portals, the pricing will need a push. You may do this yourself if you wish.

How to Push Pricing (if you added pricing data first, then connected your listing):