Booking.com × Smoobu Setup

What the Booking.com API connection does

ARI stands for Availability, Rates, Inventory. Once the API connection is active, Smoobu pushes all three to Booking.com in real time: a booking on Airbnb immediately blocks the same date on Booking.com, a rate you change in Smoobu shows up on the Booking.com calendar within minutes, and cancellations flow back automatically.

That is a fundamental difference from an iCal connection, which only pushes dates and a placeholder — no rates, no guest details. Booking.com doesn't offer an official iCal connection for full-inventory operation for good reason — the API is the only supported way to fully integrate Booking.com with Smoobu. Smoobu is listed as a certified connectivity partner with Booking.com, but activation always happens on request, never automatically.

Step 1 — Check prerequisites

Before requesting the connection, two things should already be in place:

• Booking.com extranet fully set up: room type(s) created, at least one active rate plan, photos and description added, payment details on file. A property still going through Booking.com's own onboarding can't yet request a channel manager connection.
• Smoobu prepared as the master system: rates, minimum stay, blocked dates, and property details fully maintained in Smoobu. Whatever is set here gets pushed to Booking.com after connecting — not the other way around.

Step 2 — Request the connection from Booking.com

Unlike Airbnb, you can't start the Booking.com connection directly from within Smoobu. Booking.com has to approve it.

1. Extranet route: in the Booking.com extranet, under account settings (or "connections" / "connectivity providers" — the exact label changes from time to time), search for "Smoobu" and request the connection.
2. Support route: if the option isn't visible in the extranet, contact Booking.com support or your account manager and explicitly name Smoobu as the channel manager provider.
3. Booking.com reviews the request internally and typically confirms it by email within 1–3 business days.

Until confirmation arrives, the channel stays "Pending" (or isn't selectable yet) under Settings → Channels → Booking.com in Smoobu. That's normal — there's nothing extra you can do in Smoobu to speed this up.

Step 3 — Activate the connection in Smoobu

1. In Smoobu: Settings → Channels → Booking.com → Connect.
2. Log in with your Booking.com extranet credentials and authorize Smoobu as a channel manager.
3. Smoobu lists the properties registered in the extranet. Map the correct one to your Smoobu property.
4. Save. The channel should then show a green "Connected" status.

If you manage several properties under the same Booking.com account, repeat this step individually for each one — Smoobu doesn't auto-match by name.

Step 4 — Map room types and rate plans

This is where most connection problems originate. Booking.com treats room types and rate plans as separate layers; Smoobu treats properties and rate categories as separate layers — both need to be mapped 1:1.

1. Room type mapping: each Smoobu property type maps to exactly one Booking.com room type. If you've listed two identical apartments as two separate Booking.com room types, you need two separate mappings — not one shared one.
2. Rate plan mapping: each rate category in Smoobu (standard rate, non-refundable rate, early-bird discount, etc.) needs its own matching Booking.com rate plan. If the rate plan doesn't yet exist on Booking.com, create it in the extranet first.
3. After mapping: create a one-night booking (real, or a test if Booking.com's extranet allows it) and confirm in Smoobu that it arrives under the correct room type and rate plan.

Step 5 — Verify the sync

1. Block test: manually block any date in Smoobu and check the Booking.com extranet calendar to confirm the block appears within a few minutes.
2. Rate test: change the rate for a date in Smoobu and check the Booking.com calendar to confirm the new rate was picked up. This can take 5–30 minutes depending on the connection.
3. Wait for a real booking: on the first booking via Booking.com, confirm guest name, email, and special requests arrive fully in Smoobu — a sign that the API connection (and not an old iCal connection still running in parallel) is active.

Troubleshooting common issues

Note: menu labels in the Booking.com extranet change occasionally. The process described here (connectivity request → Booking.com approval → mapping in Smoobu) reflects the state as of July 15, 2026 — confirm the exact menu wording in your own extranet before submitting the request.