iCal Feed (iCal URL)
An iCal feed (or iCal URL) is a link to a live .ics file that a platform keeps updated automatically. Instead of exporting and re-importing a file by hand, a calendar tool subscribes to the URL and re-checks it periodically, so booked and blocked dates stay current without manual work from the host.
Every major OTA and PMS exposes an iCal feed for each listing, usually found in the platform's calendar or sync settings. The feed only reflects date availability, not the content of the listing - it's a narrow, single-purpose export.
A feed can also be imported into more than one place at once: the same Airbnb iCal URL can feed a Google Calendar subscription, a channel manager, and an availability calendar widget simultaneously, since subscribing never modifies the source.
Why it matters for hosts
The privacy scope of an iCal feed matters as much as the sync itself: a feed exposes only which dates are blocked or available, never a guest's name, contact details, or payment information. RentalBeam's own export URLs follow the same rule, and any iCal source added to a RentalBeam calendar is read the same way - dates only.
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.
Read the iCal sync docs