How to create and customize your Direct Booking Website?

Your Direct Booking Website lets you accept direct bookings under your own brand — with calendar sync, secure payments, and your guest data managed from your Holidu account.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Booking Website

Step 1: Access your Direct Booking Website

You can reach your Direct Booking Website setup from two places in your Holidu account — both lead to the same configuration:

• Direct Bookings → My website & widget in the left-hand navigation menu
• Properties → [your property] → Distribution Channels → My booking website, then click Activate channel (if not yet active) or My booking website configuration (if already active)

Use whichever you reach first.

Note: Available to primary account holders only — not secondary collaborators.

Step 2: Choose Your Setup Type

When accessing the Direct Booking Website for the first time, you will see a setup wizard. First, choose your setup type:

• Create a new website — builds a complete Holidu-hosted booking website from scratch
• Add booking module to existing website — embed the Holidu booking engine into a website you already run

Tip: You can do both — the booking module is also available after completing the website setup. See Step 5 for booking module instructions.

Step 3: Set Up Your Direct Booking Website

1. Log in to your Holidu Host account.
2. In the left menu, select Configuration and scroll down to Distribution Channels.
3. Click on Distribution Channels and find My Booking Website.
4. Click Activate channel and follow the onboarding prompts:
   • Review and accept terms and conditions.

1. Select your website languages (up to 8 supported languages).

1. Enter your website's name and domain address. If you already own a domain, instructions will guide you to connect it for brand consistency.

1. Choose which properties to display and their order (if you have more than one property).
2. Click Finish to publish your booking website. Your personalized URL can be copied and shared right away.

Customizable Features

Your Direct Booking Website offers a range of customizable features to match your brand and enhance the guest experience. Here are the key elements you can personalize:

Homepage Customization

Once your booking website is live, you can personalize it any time by returning to either access path in Step 1. From your website dashboard, select "Homepage" to customize the look of your booking website.

You can add and customize the following elements:

• Logo: Upload your business logo, which will appear on your direct booking website.
• Title: Add a title that will display over the header image.
• Welcome text: Create a welcome message that appears beneath the main header image.
• Header image: Upload a header image to showcase your properties. Ensure the image is no larger than 8 MB.
• Social media links: Enable the social media toggle and add links to your social media accounts one by one.

Important: Use only your own images for your direct booking website. Do not use images from Google or other image platforms — you risk copyright infringement.

Property Listings Customization

Your properties will have default images and text that you can customize yourself. The description of your property is taken from your existing description text. Guests can select "Details" to book directly.

Host Information Section

To add information about yourself as a host, select "Your host" in the content area of the side panel. Enable the "Your host" toggle to make it visible for guests. Write information about yourself as a host in the box provided and upload an image. When you are finished with your text, select "Save".

Guests can find the "Host" area of your direct booking website in the navigation menu:

Design and Layout Customization

To customize the layout and theme of your direct booking website, click on "Design" and choose from available options:

Available design features include:

• Layout preferences: Choose the layout you prefer for displaying your properties.
• Filter bar: Enable the filter bar toggle at the top of the page so guests can search for available dates.
• Header image display: Choose how the header image is displayed on your website.
• Color theme: Pick the color theme that matches your brand identity.

Step-by-Step: How to Customize Your Direct Booking Website

Step 1: Access the Customization Dashboard

1. Log in to your Holidu Host account.
2. Navigate to Direct Bookings → My website & widget in the left-hand navigation menu, or go to Properties → [your property] → Distribution Channels → My booking website.
3. Click on My booking website configuration to access your website dashboard.

Step 2: Customize Your Homepage Content

1. In your website dashboard, select "Homepage" from the left-hand menu.
2. Update your logo by clicking the logo upload section. Your logo will appear at the top of your website.
3. Add a title for your website that will display prominently over the header image.
4. Write a welcome message in the welcome text box. This text appears beneath your main header image and greets your guests.
5. Upload a header image that represents your properties. Remember to keep the file size under 8 MB and use only your own original images.

Step 3: Add Social Media Links

1. Locate the social media section in your Homepage customization area.
2. Enable the social media toggle to make your profiles visible to guests.
3. Click "Add" next to each social media platform where you have an active account.
4. Enter the URL for each social media profile (Facebook, Instagram, etc.).
5. Save your changes when complete.

Step 4: Personalize Your Host Profile

1. Select "Your host" from the content area menu in the side panel.
2. Toggle on the "Your host" switch to make this section visible to guests.
3. Write a biography or introduction about yourself as a host. Share your experience, welcome philosophy, or what makes your properties special.
4. Upload a professional photo of yourself to help guests connect with you personally.
5. Click "Save" to publish your host information.

Step 5: Customize Your Website Design

1. Click on "Design" in your customization menu.
2. Choose your preferred layout from the available options to determine how your properties are displayed.
3. Enable the filter bar toggle if you want guests to be able to search for specific dates and availability directly on your homepage.
4. Select how you want your header image to be displayed (full width, centered, etc.).
5. Choose a color theme that aligns with your brand identity. The color scheme will be applied throughout your booking website.
6. Preview your changes to ensure they look exactly as you want.
7. Click "Save" to apply your design customizations.

Step 6: Review Your Website Domain

Your website address is made up of two parts:

• A name you choose (Subdomain name) — this is up to you. Most hosts use their property name (e.g. "myproperty")
• An ending you pick from a list (Subdomain ending) — Holidu gives you a few options to choose from, including general ones (like holiduhost.com) and ones matching specific countries (like ferienwohnungen.de)

Put together, that gives you something like: myproperty.holiduhost.com — this is the link your guests will use to find and book with you.

Tip: Picking an ending that matches your guests' country (e.g. a German ending if most of your guests are German) can make your site feel more familiar and trustworthy to them.

Step 7: Update Your Website Address (If Needed)

1. If you want to change your website address later, go to "Settings" in the Booking Website tool.
2. Update your domain name following the same format: [your-chosen-name].[selected-ending].
3. Click "Save" to apply the change.

Important: Once you change your address, your old address stops working. Guests can only reach you through the new one — so make sure to update the link anywhere you've shared it before (booking confirmations, welcome guides, social media, printed materials, etc.).

Note: Already have your own website domain? That's a different setup — contact Holidu support for instructions on connecting your booking website to your own custom domain.

Step 8: Save Your Changes

1. After making all your customizations, click "Save" to publish your updates.
2. Your booking website customization is now complete and live for guests to see.
3. You can return any time to update your direct booking website with new information, images, or design preferences.

Additional Customization Options

Activate a Direct Booking Discount (Optional but Recommended)

1. Go to the Discounts section in your Holidu Host dashboard.
2. Activate a 5%, 10%, or 15% direct booking website discount.
3. The discount appears clearly on your website and in the booking flow — giving guests a visible reason to book direct.

Tip: The discount stacks with most promotions (except the new listing promo).

Add the Booking Module to Your Existing Website (If Applicable)

If you already have your own website, you can embed the Holidu booking engine so guests can book without leaving your site.

1. Go to Direct Bookings → My website & widget in the left-hand navigation menu.
2. In your website dashboard, click Booking module in the left-hand menu.
3. Enable the Booking Module toggle and accept the terms and conditions.
4. Copy the generated code snippet.
5. Paste it into your existing website where you want the booking functionality to appear — compatible with WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and similar platforms.
6. Select the preferred languages to match your website.
7. Click Save — the module activates immediately, and availability, pricing, and bookings stay aligned with your Holidu calendar.

Tip: If you need help with the integration, coordinate with your webmaster or contact your account manager.

Add Website Tracking (Optional)

Want to see how guests use your Booking Website? You can connect your own tracking tools to keep an eye on visits and behavior.

1. Go to Direct Bookings in your Holidu account → My website & widget → Website Tracking.
2. For legal reasons, Holidu only supports two tools: Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM).
3. Paste in your ID, and Holidu takes care of the rest — the tracking script gets added to your website automatically, no coding needed.

Finding Your IDs:

• Using Google Analytics? Find your Measurement ID under GA4 Admin → Data Streams → [your stream] → Measurement ID.
• Using Google Tag Manager? Find your Container ID in Tag Manager → Workspace, top right corner.

Important Notes:

• Don't want a tool active anymore? Just leave its field blank to turn it off.
• Only use scripts from tools you trust — since it runs directly on your site, a broken or unsafe script could affect how your page loads.

Important Reminders

• All content except your website name is automatically translated for visitors using the site in another language.
• Use only your own images. Do not use images from Google or other platforms — you risk copyright infringement.
• Keep your website information and property details updated to improve conversion rates and provide an excellent guest experience.
• Regularly review and update your host profile, descriptions, and branding to keep your website fresh and engaging.

Best Practices Summary