To use the Firefly OTA Channel Manager for Airbnb you must have the units you want to connect with this feature already set up and available on your Airbnb account

Unit Types – Only lodging type units in Firefly are eligible to link to your Airbnb Account.

Check Airbnb Requirements - Airbnb has some local laws and requirements for parks to meet and to be in accordance with. Before being able to utilize our integration, please check to make sure that you meet them.

Set up your Airbnb Account - This Airbnb help article can walk you through getting your Airbnb set up: Set up your Airbnb Account. You should set up your Airbnb account before proceeding.

Confirm Currency in Firefly - Your currency needs to be properly configured in Firefly before connecting any units through the OTA Channel Manager. This can be found by navigating to Settings > Property > General tab > Currency.

Pricing – For up-to-date pricing on this feature, Airbnb integration pricing.

Enable the add-on

To enable the Firefly OTA Channel Manager add-on, navigate to the Account Manager.

Select your name in the top right corner of your Firefly account then select ‘Account’ from the dropdown menu.

From the Account Manager select the ‘Addons’ tab.

Check the box for the OTA Channel Addon option from the available add-ons and select ‘Save’ at the bottom of your screen to save your changes.

After this add-on is enabled and saved you will see the OTA Channel Manager in the Integrations Settings (Formerly, Channel Manager).

To find the Integrations (formerly, channel management) Settings:

1. Click Settings

2. Click Integrations

Syncing available units

In your Integrations Settings (Formerly, Channel Manager) select ‘Manage’ to the right of the Firefly OTA Channel Manager.

Then select the units you would like to sync from the list below and save your selection.

Only 'Lodging' type units will show as available options in this list.

After this step is completed, select 'Channel Setup'.

Setting up your Airbnb Rates

Once your Airbnb account is linked to your Firefly account in the Integration Settings (Formerly, Channel Manager), rates for Airbnb will be managed in the Firefly OTA Channel Manager. You will not manage rates in Airbnb for any unit integrated with Firefly. Your Firefly rates set in Unit Settings will apply to any reservations made through Firefly.

It is recommended to set up your rates before moving on to the next steps, units in Airbnb will show unavailable unless rates are available.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown on the ‘Inventory’ tab and select ‘Bulk Update’ from the dropdown.

Then select a date range you want to update. You can also choose to only affect specific days of the week of this date range using the checkboxes below.

Select the setting you want to update – in this case, check the ‘Rate’ box and enter the daily rate in the box to the right. Then select the unit to apply the rate below in the ‘affected rooms’ section.

When you are done, click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of the page.

You will see the rate reflected under the dates that you updated.

TIP: To ensure you do not miss any dates, we suggest completing rate for a larger time frame then adding the special rates as needed. For example, enter rates for a year or your season before entering specific date ranges like special events, weekends, or holidays.

After establishing your connection to your Airbnb account, you will have limited access to pricing and availability settings from the Airbnb side. However additional fees for Airbnb (Housekeeping, pet fees, etc.) will still be managed in your Airbnb account.

NOTE: The images above are from Airbnb’s hosting site and are subject to change.

Setting Min/ Max Night Rules

Go to Settings > Integrations (Formerly, Channel Management) > Manage.

Select ‘Channel Setup’.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown then select ‘Bulk Update’.

Enter the date range the minimum setting will be valid for. Then select ‘Min Stay Arrival’ OR ‘Min Stay Through’, then enter your nightly minimum (explanations below).

The option you choose to set up your minimum nightly rules in the bulk update MUST match the setting in your channel.

Once you enter your minimum stay, select the units this minimum applies. If it applies to all units then check ‘Select All Rates’ and select ‘Save’.

Understanding Airbnb Terms Related to Firefly Reservations:

Min Stay Arrival: This setting requires the minimum stay to be based on the guest’s check-in date only.
Min Stay Through: This setting requires the guest to meet the minimum stay for the entire booking period, regardless of their check-in date.

Let’s say you have the following settings:

Sunday to Friday: 1-night minimum stay
Saturday: 3-night minimum stay

Here’s how each setting would apply:

Min Stay Arrival: If a guest is arriving on Friday (with a 1-night minimum), they can stay just 1 night. The 3-night minimum for Saturday only applies if the guest arrives on Saturday.
Min Stay Through: If a guest is booking from Thursday to Saturday, they must book a minimum of 3 nights, since Saturday requires a 3-night stay.

Viewing Other Settings and Date Ranges in the Inventory Tab

You can view any other settings to this view by selecting it from the drop-down menu.

To view a different date range, you can select the arrow or click on the date to select a new date range.

Creating your Channel

Navigate to the Channels tab and select Create.

Select ‘Airbnb’ from the dropdown and create a title name for your channel. We recommend your park name followed by Airbnb.

NOTE: This channel name is only visible to you in your Channel Manager. It is not customer-facing.

Here you can also select the ‘Min Stay Type’.

The Min Stay Type must match in your Inventory Settings AND your Channel Setup in order to apply. Definitions for these can be found in the Setting up Min/Max night section above.

Once these settings are updated you can select the “Connect with Airbnb’ button at the bottom of the page.

The Airbnb host account that is the ‘Listing Owner’ should be the account that is connected for the listings to show and be mapped in the next steps.

This will navigate another webpage outside of Firefly to establish your connection.

You will need to log into your Airbnb host account if you are not already and accept the Terms and Conditions to establish your connection.

Once connected you can select ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page.

You will then see your channel created under the Channel tab.

The status will show as disabled until you are ready to activate your connection (We will do this in a later step)

Mapping Your Units

From the actions dropdown select ‘Edit’.

Then select the ‘Mapping’ tab along the top of the page. Here you will map each connected unit in the Channel Manager with a listing in Airbnb. This will be a 1:1 relationship. This view will also show the one or multiple properties you connected to the channel.

Click on the red ‘Not mapped’ option and connect the unit to the unit in your Firefly Park that matches the listing.

Once this is selected click ‘Save’.

Once this is connected you can then see the mapped unit in your ‘Mapping’ tab linking the two units.

Activating your Channel

After you have mapped your units and are ready to activate your connection, select the Actions dropdown on the channel tab and select ‘Activate’.

You can then see the status has been updated to ‘Active’.

Pull Future Reservations

After activating your channel, you will also need to pull the future reservations to sync both platforms to show existing reservations.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown and ‘Pull Future reservations’ option.

Note: Once the initial sync is completed, any future reservations that are pulled in from external booking sources are subject to Firefly’s standard reservation fees, just like reservations made directly through Firefly.

Viewing and Managing Airbnb Reservations in Firefly

Airbnb reservations will show the Airbnb logo on the grid as shown below.

Charges and payments are handled by Airbnb much like reservation dates, so any unit charges created in Firefly for reservations made in Airbnb are not editable. You cannot make payments or edit the charge in Firefly - this must be done on Airbnb.
Via Settings > Units > (Unit Selected) > “Allow external booking channel reservations only” (checkbox)

This option allows for a specific unit to only be booked via Airbnb or other external booking platforms, but not through Firefly. If a reservation is attempted anywhere through Firefly for a unit with this enabled, an error will appear stating that the “Unit only allows bookings from external booking channels”.

Conflicts

Through the main Firefly dashboard, you'll now be able to view any reservation conflicts. While this is very unlikely, it may occur if a block or reservation is made in Firefly for the same dates that are being requested on Airbnb, at the same time.
From the dashboard, you can select the conflict, which will direct you to the conflicting Airbnb reservation. From there, you can access the related Firefly reservation or block and make any required adjustments. Once the changes are made and the conflict is resolved, simply click the 'Conflict has been resolved' button.

Disconnecting Airbnb

To disconnect your property from the OTA Channel Manager go to Settings> Channel Management> Select ‘Manage’ next to the connection.

Select ‘Channel Setup’ from the management screen.

From the ‘Channels’ tab select the actions dropdown to the right of your channel and select either ‘deactivate’ or ‘remove’ from the dropdown.

After this has been removed select ‘back to Channel’.

From here you can select the ‘Disconnect Property’ button.

Need a walkthrough training on getting your AirBnB integration set up in Firefly? Schedule a dedicated call with our team here:

Firefly's AirBnB Advanced Training with Krystal