How to Connect Your Booking Website to Your Own Domain

Already have a domain you want to use? You can connect it to your Holidu booking website to drive more direct bookings under your own brand. By linking your custom domain to your Holidu site, you'll establish a stronger online presence and make it easier for guests to find and book with you.

Before You Begin

Before starting the domain connection process, make sure you have the following in place:

• Access to your domain provider's settings (such as AWS, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Vercel, or similar platforms)
• An active Holidu booking website ready to be connected
• About 10-15 minutes to complete the setup

Important note: If you already have a website live on that domain, it will be replaced by your direct booking website once this process is complete. Please ensure you've backed up any content you want to keep.

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting Your Domain

Step 1: Start the Process in the Holidu App

Begin by setting up your booking website in your Holidu account:

1. Log in to your Holidu host dashboard
2. Click Enable website if your booking website is not yet enabled
3. Click Connect my domain
4. Enter your existing domain name in the provided field

After you enter your domain name, a DNS configuration panel will appear showing the specific DNS values you'll need. These values are unique to your property and will be used in the next steps.

Tip: Copy all the DNS values displayed in the Holidu app to a text file. You'll need these when working with your domain provider's settings. Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS—we'll guide you through each step.

Step 2: Create a CNAME Record in Your Domain Settings

Now you'll add the first DNS record to your domain provider:

1. Log in to your domain provider's control panel (AWS, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Vercel, etc.)
2. Navigate to your DNS records or DNS management section
3. Look for an option to create a new DNS record or add a new record
4. In the record creation form, select CNAME as the record type
5. From the Holidu app, copy the NAME value from the CNAME line and paste it into the name field of your domain provider
6. Copy the VALUE from the same CNAME line in the Holidu app and paste it into the value field in your domain provider
7. Leave the TTL (Time To Live) and Routing policy fields with their default values unless your provider requires otherwise
8. Save or create the record

Example (AWS):

Important: If there are already DNS records saved for the domain you want to use, delete those first. This will disconnect your existing website from the domain, which is necessary to connect your new Holidu direct booking website. Without removing existing records, the domain connection may fail.

Step 3: Add a CAA DNS Record

Create another DNS record for your domain's certificate authority authorization:

1. In your domain provider's control panel, create another new DNS record
2. Select CAA as the record type
3. From the Holidu app, copy the NAME value from the CAA line and enter it into the name field
4. Copy the VALUE from the CAA line in the Holidu app and paste it into the value field
5. Note: Some domain providers may require a special format for the CAA value, such as 0 issue "yourdomain.com". If this applies to your provider, add quotation marks around the value from the Holidu app
6. Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields with their default values
7. Save or create the record

Step 4: Verify Your Records in the Holidu App

Once you've added the CNAME and CAA records to your domain provider:

1. Return to the Holidu app where you started the domain connection process
2. Holidu will automatically check your DNS settings—this verification usually takes around 5 minutes
3. You may see a verification status indicator. If everything is configured correctly, your domain will be marked as verified
4. Once verified, you'll be guided to the final step of the setup

Troubleshooting tip: If verification doesn't complete after 10 minutes, double-check that the NAME and VALUE entries in your domain provider exactly match what's shown in the Holidu app. Even small differences in spacing or characters can cause verification to fail.

Step 5: Add an ALIAS DNS Record

After Holidu verifies your domain, you'll need to add one final DNS record:

1. Return to your domain provider's control panel
2. Create a new DNS record and select ALIAS as the record type
3. From the Holidu app, copy the NAME and VALUE provided for the ALIAS record
4. Enter these values into the corresponding fields in your domain provider
5. Keep the TTL and Routing policy at their default settings
6. Save or create the record

Verification checklist: Before moving forward, confirm that all three DNS records are now present in your domain provider's settings:

• ALIAS record
• CAA record
• CNAME record

All three records are required for your direct booking website to connect properly to your custom domain.

Step 6: Final Verification

Complete the setup by confirming the final verification:

1. Return to your Holidu admin dashboard
2. Wait for the final domain verification to complete
3. You'll receive confirmation once your domain is fully connected
4. You can now access your direct booking website by visiting your custom domain

Congratulations! Your booking website is now live on your custom domain. Guests can find and book your properties directly through your branded website, helping you build a stronger presence and increase direct bookings.

What Happens Next?

Once your domain is connected, your Holidu direct booking website will be accessible at your custom domain. Guests will see your branded site when they visit your domain, and all bookings will flow through your Holidu property management system. You can now share your custom domain URL with guests, use it in marketing materials, and build your direct booking channel.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during the domain connection process, check that:

• All DNS values are entered exactly as shown in the Holidu app
• You've waited at least 5-10 minutes for DNS propagation
• Any previously existing records for that domain have been removed
• Your domain provider supports CNAME, CAA, and ALIAS records

If problems persist, our support team is here to help. Contact Holidu customer support with details about your domain provider and any error messages you've encountered.