Double Booking
A double booking happens when the same dates get reserved on two different platforms at once, because availability updated on one channel hadn't yet reached the other. It's the core risk of listing on multiple platforms, and the main problem calendar sync exists to prevent.
Double bookings are most common right after a reservation is made and before every synced platform has refreshed - the gap between the booking and the next sync cycle. Feeds updated only every few hours widen that gap; more frequent syncing narrows it but can't remove it entirely, since no iCal-based sync is instantaneous.
Manual date blocks, short sync delays, and a final availability check at the moment of booking are the usual layers hosts and platforms combine to cut the risk down further.
Why it matters for hosts
RentalBeam imports every connected iCal source and refreshes availability automatically, at most every 30 minutes, to keep the displayed calendar current. On top of that, the booking form widget re-checks live availability from the source feeds at the moment a guest confirms an instant pay-in-widget reservation, so the dates are verified again right before they're locked in.
Further reading
More detail on how this works with RentalBeam.
Related terms
Other glossary terms that come up alongside this one.
See this in the product.
See how RentalBeam sync works