Publishing a Listing to the Channel Manager
Before you can connect your property to OTA platforms like Booking.com or Airbnb, you need to publish it to the Channel Manager. Publishing maps your listing data -- description, photos, amenities, rates, and availability -- to the standardized format that external channels expect. This page covers the requirements, the publishing process, what happens behind the scenes, and how to verify everything worked.
Pre-publishing checklist
Channels require certain information to accept a property. Publishing with missing data will either fail outright or result in an incomplete listing on the OTA that could be rejected during their review process. Go through this checklist before you publish.
Required fields
| Field | Where to set it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Listing name | Listing details | Displayed on all OTA platforms |
| Property type | Listing details | Mapped to OTA property categories (apartment, house, villa, etc.) |
| Description | Listing details | Must meet minimum length requirements on some OTAs |
| At least 1 photo | Listing photos | OTAs require at least one photo; most recommend 5 or more |
| Full address | Listing location | Used for map placement and search results on OTAs |
| Guest capacity | Listing details | Maximum number of guests, used for search filtering |
| Amenities | Listing amenities | Mapped to standardized OTA amenity codes |
| At least 1 active rate plan | Listing rates | Must have base pricing; OTAs will not list without a price |
| Availability set | Listing calendar | At least some dates must be open for booking |
Recommended but not required
- Multiple photos (5+) -- listings with more photos get significantly more bookings on OTAs
- Detailed description -- at least 200 words covering the space, neighborhood, and check-in process
- House rules -- check-in/out times, pet policy, smoking policy
- Cancellation policy -- if you offer multiple policies (Flexible, Moderate, Strict), set them up as rate plan variants before publishing so they map correctly
- Minimum stay rules -- set per season or globally before publishing
WARNING
Incomplete listings may fail to sync correctly with OTA platforms, or they may be published in a state that looks unprofessional to potential guests. Take the time to fill in every section of your listing before publishing.
How to publish a listing
- Click Listings in the sidebar.
- Open the listing you want to publish.
- Go to the Sync tab.
- Click the Publish to Channel Manager button.
- Wait for the publishing process to complete. This typically takes 10-30 seconds.
- Once published, the Sync tab will show a green Synced status.
After publishing, your listing is ready to be connected to specific OTA channels. Head to Connecting Channels to set up your first connection.
What happens when you publish
Publishing is not just a toggle -- it triggers a multi-step process that maps your hejGuide data to the Channel Manager format. Here is what happens behind the scenes:
Step 1: Property creation
hejGuide creates a property record in the Channel Manager with your listing's core details:
- Name -- your listing name as entered in hejGuide
- Property type -- mapped from hejGuide types to standardized OTA categories. For example, "Apartment" in hejGuide maps to the apartment category on Booking.com and the corresponding type on Airbnb
- Description -- your full listing description
- Capacity -- maximum guest count
- Location -- full address and coordinates
Step 2: Photo upload
All photos from your listing are sent to the Channel Manager in the order you have arranged them in hejGuide. The first photo becomes the cover/hero image on OTA platforms.
TIP
Arrange your photos in hejGuide before publishing. The order you set here is the order guests will see on every connected OTA. Put your best, most representative photo first.
Step 3: Amenity mapping
Your selected amenities are mapped to standardized codes that OTAs understand. For example:
| hejGuide amenity | Mapped OTA code |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Internet / Wireless |
| Parking | Free parking on premises |
| Kitchen | Full kitchen |
| Air conditioning | Air conditioning |
| Washer | Washing machine |
| Pool | Swimming pool |
The mapping is automatic. If you add or remove amenities later, the changes push to connected channels on the next sync.
Step 4: Rate plan mapping
Your active rate plans are mapped to Channel Manager rate plans:
- Base rate plan -- your default pricing with nightly rates, seasonal adjustments, and minimum stay rules
- Variant rate plans -- if you have different cancellation policy tiers (Flexible, Moderate, Strict), each becomes a separate rate plan variant with its associated discount percentage
For details on how rate plans sync, see How Synchronization Works.
Step 5: Availability push
Your current calendar availability is pushed, including:
- Open dates available for booking
- Blocked dates (manually blocked or existing bookings)
- Any date-specific restrictions
Step 6: iCal pause
If you have iCal feeds configured for this listing, they are automatically paused. See the section below for details.
iCal is automatically paused
When you publish a listing to the Channel Manager, any existing iCal synchronization for that listing is automatically paused. This is critical -- running both iCal and the Channel Manager for the same listing would cause double bookings.
How to verify iCal is paused
- Open the listing's Sync tab.
- Look for the iCal section. It should show a Paused status with a note indicating the Channel Manager is active.
- If iCal still shows as active, contact support -- this should not happen, but the safest course of action is to manually remove the iCal feed URLs from any connected platforms.
What happens if you disconnect later
If you disconnect a listing from the Channel Manager (see "Unpublishing" below), iCal sync automatically resumes. There is no gap in coverage -- the system ensures one sync method is always active.
TIP
You do not need to manually disable iCal feeds. hejGuide handles this automatically when the Channel Manager is active. If you disconnect from the Channel Manager later, iCal sync resumes without any action on your part.
Verifying publishing was successful
After publishing, confirm everything worked:
1. Check the Sync tab status
The status indicator should show green / Synced. If it shows yellow / Pending, wait a moment -- the initial sync is still running. If it shows red / Error, check the sync log for details.
2. Review the sync log
Open the sync log on the Sync tab. You should see a series of successful "push" entries for:
- Property details
- Photos
- Amenities
- Rate plans
- Availability
If any of these show errors, the corresponding data did not push correctly. Common causes:
- Missing required field -- go back to the listing and fill in the missing data, then the next sync cycle will retry
- Photo upload failed -- check that your photos are in a supported format (JPEG, PNG) and under the file size limit
- Rate plan error -- verify your rate plan has valid pricing for current and future dates
3. Connect a channel and verify on the OTA
The most definitive test is to connect a channel and then check the listing on the OTA platform directly. Log in to Booking.com or Airbnb and verify that:
- Your listing name and description appear correctly
- Photos are present and in the right order
- Pricing matches what you set in hejGuide
- Availability matches your calendar
Updating a published listing
After the initial publish, changes you make in hejGuide push automatically. You do not need to republish. The sync is event-driven -- saving a change triggers an immediate push to connected channels.
| Change you make | When it syncs |
|---|---|
| Edit listing description | Pushes immediately on save |
| Add or reorder photos | Pushes immediately on save |
| Change amenities | Pushes immediately on save |
| Update rate plan pricing | Pushes immediately on save |
| Block or unblock dates | Pushes immediately |
| Save seasonal rate adjustment | Pushes immediately on save |
All changes are also verified during the 30-minute scheduled sync as a safety net. For full details, see How Synchronization Works.
Unpublishing a listing
If you need to remove a listing from the Channel Manager:
- Open the listing's Sync tab.
- Look for the option to disconnect or unpublish from the Channel Manager.
- Confirm the action.
What happens when you unpublish
- Channel Manager sync stops -- no more availability, rate, or booking updates will flow between hejGuide and OTAs for this listing
- iCal resumes -- if you had iCal feeds configured before publishing to the Channel Manager, they will resume automatically
- Existing bookings are kept -- any bookings already pulled into hejGuide remain in your calendar. They are not deleted
- Listing stays on OTAs -- your listing remains on the OTA platforms, but it is no longer managed by hejGuide. You will need to manage it manually on each OTA, or reconnect to the Channel Manager later
WARNING
Before unpublishing, make sure you have a plan for managing availability on OTAs. Without the Channel Manager or iCal active, bookings made on OTAs will not appear in hejGuide, and you risk double bookings.
Related
- Channel Manager Overview -- Introduction to the Channel Manager
- Connecting Channels -- Connect your published listing to OTAs
- How Synchronization Works -- Understand the sync process and timing
- iCal vs Channel Manager -- Compare sync methods
- Creating a Listing -- Set up a new property listing