Your calendar is the most important thing you maintain as a host. It determines what guests can book, and getting it wrong is what leads to cancellations.
The basics
Open your listing calendar in your host dashboard. Open dates are bookable; blocked dates are not. Confirmed bookings block themselves automatically, and a cancelled booking frees its dates back up without you doing anything.
The rule that matters
If you take a booking anywhere else, block those dates on Koobo the same day. Not at the end of the week. The window between accepting a booking elsewhere and blocking it here is exactly when a double booking happens.
A double booking forces a host cancellation, and those carry consequences: an automated review marker on your listing, financial penalties, or account suspension.
Using a channel manager
If you list on multiple platforms, a channel manager is worth it. Koobo integrates with Hospitable, which syncs availability automatically so a booking on one platform blocks the dates everywhere.
Two cautions:
- Check the sync periodically rather than assuming it is working.
- Note that Hospitable's free Essentials plan does not include third-party integrations, so the Koobo connection needs a paid plan.
There is a separate article on connecting Hospitable to Koobo.
Blocking for yourself
Block dates you are unavailable: personal use, maintenance, family visits, or a trip off the island. Better to block and unblock later than to be caught out.
How far ahead to open
Far enough that guests planning ahead can book. For peak season, September to November, travellers often book months in advance. A calendar that only opens two months out loses those bookings to someone else.
A weekly rhythm
Check the calendar once a week, and immediately after taking any booking off-platform. Everything else on your listing can wait; this cannot.