Four layers of protection
- One record per room, per night. A booking claims specific nights. A second booking for the same room and night is refused with a clear message: "This room is already taken on 14 Oct. Pick another room or change the dates."
- Safe when two people book at once. In testing, eight staff saved the same room for the same night at the same moment. Exactly one booking succeeded and the other seven were told the room was taken.
- Linked units. If a villa can be let whole or by the room, booking the villa locks every room inside it, and booking a room locks the villa.
- Booking sites close and open with you. Nights you sell in InnRow close on Airbnb, Booking.com and the other connected sites, and their bookings lock nights in InnRow within about 15 minutes of reaching InnRow's check. If a booking-site reservation lands on nights already sold here, InnRow shows a red double booking risk alert so you can act at once.
Holds, enquiries and blocks
- Enquiry: noted, but doesn't block the room.
- Hold: blocks the room for 24 hours (you can change this), then releases it automatically.
- Confirmed: blocks the room until it's cancelled.
- Block: closes a room for repairs or owner use, and the booking sites see it as closed.
The honest limit
Calendar (iCal) sync isn't instant. Booking sites refresh calendar links on their own schedule, and Airbnb refreshes about every 3 hours, so there's a short window where two sites can sell the same night. InnRow closes its side as soon as you save, and alerts you if a clash comes in. Properties with very high last-minute volume on many sites may want a full API channel manager. Read iCal sync vs a channel manager and our guide to avoiding double bookings.
Questions people ask
Can InnRow guarantee zero double bookings?
Within InnRow, yes: the same room can't be saved twice for the same night. Across booking sites, calendar sync takes a few minutes to about 3 hours depending on the site, so a clash is still possible in that window. InnRow alerts you straight away if one happens.
What should I do if a double booking happens?
Contact the later guest quickly, offer an equal or better room nearby, and ask the booking site's support to cancel without a penalty. Our double booking guide has a step-by-step plan.