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. This guide will walk you through the entire process in just 6 simple steps.

Before You Start

Before beginning, make sure you have the following:

• Access to your domain provider's settings (such as AWS, Vercel, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or similar)
• Your Holidu account with admin access
• A few minutes of your time to complete the DNS configuration

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. Make sure to back up any important information from your existing site before proceeding.

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting Your Domain

Step 1: Enable Your Booking Website and Start the Domain Connection Process

The first step is to initiate the domain connection from within your Holidu account:

1. Log into your Holidu host dashboard
2. Click Enable website if you haven't already enabled your booking website
3. Click Connect my domain
4. Enter your existing domain name in the provided field

Once you enter your domain name, a DNS tab will appear showing you the specific DNS values that Holidu has generated for your domain. These values are crucial for the next steps, so keep this screen open or take note of them.

Pro tip: Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS settings. We'll guide you through each step, and it's easier than you might think!

Step 2: Create a CNAME Record in Your Domain Settings

Now it's time to head to your domain provider and add the first DNS record:

1. Log into your domain provider's control panel (AWS, Vercel, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
2. Look for the DNS settings, DNS management, or DNS records section
3. Find the option to create a new record or DNS record

When creating the new record, follow these instructions:

• For Type, select CNAME
• In the Holidu app, copy the NAME value from the CNAME line and paste it into the name field of your domain provider
• Copy the VALUE from the same CNAME line in the Holidu app and paste it into the value field of your domain provider
• Leave the TTL (Time To Live) and Routing policy fields at their default pre-filled values
• Save and create the record

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 temporarily, but it's necessary to connect your new Holidu booking website.

Step 3: Add a CAA DNS Record

The next step is to add a CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) record. This helps secure your domain:

1. In your domain provider's control panel, create another new DNS record
2. For Type, select CAA
3. From the Holidu app, copy the NAME value from the CAA line and paste it into the name field
4. Copy the VALUE from the CAA line in the Holidu app and paste it into the value field

Note for some providers: Depending on your domain provider, you might need to format the value field differently. For example, some providers require the format: 0 issue "value". If you see this requirement, simply add the value from the Holidu app within quotation marks.

• Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields at their default values
• Save and create the record

Step 4: Verify Your DNS Records in the Holidu App

With the CNAME and CAA records now in place, it's time to verify everything is connected correctly:

1. Head back to your Holidu dashboard
2. Holidu will automatically check your DNS settings within approximately 5 minutes
3. You should see a confirmation message indicating that your domain has been verified

DNS changes can sometimes take a little longer to propagate across the internet, so if verification doesn't happen immediately, wait a few more minutes and refresh the page. This is completely normal!

Step 5: Add an ALIAS DNS Record

Once Holidu has verified your domain records, you'll need to add one final DNS record—the ALIAS record:

1. Return to your domain provider's control panel
2. Create a new DNS record
3. For Type, select ALIAS
4. From the Holidu app, copy the provided NAME and VALUE for the ALIAS record and paste them into the corresponding fields in your domain provider
5. Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields at their default values
6. Save and create the record

Verification checklist: Before moving forward, confirm that your domain provider now shows all three DNS records:

• CNAME record
• CAA record
• ALIAS record

All three records are essential for your direct booking website to connect and function properly.

Step 6: Final Verification and Launch

You're almost there! The final step is simple:

1. Return to your Holidu dashboard
2. Wait for the final verification confirmation that your domain is fully connected
3. Once verified, your booking website is now live on your own domain

Congratulations! You can now access your direct booking website using your own domain name. Your guests will see your brand when they visit, and all bookings will come directly through your custom domain.

Troubleshooting Tips

DNS changes aren't showing up: DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours in some cases, though it's usually much faster. If you've waited a few minutes and haven't seen verification, wait a bit longer or try clearing your browser cache.

Verification keeps failing: Double-check that you've copied the NAME and VALUE fields exactly as they appear in the Holidu app. Even a single character difference will cause verification to fail. Also ensure you've created all three record types (CNAME, CAA, and ALIAS).

My old website is no longer accessible: This is expected once you delete the original DNS records. Your domain is now exclusively connected to your Holidu booking website.

Next Steps

Now that your domain is connected, consider these next actions to maximize your direct bookings:

• Customize your booking website with your branding and property photos
• Share your custom domain URL on social media and marketing channels
• Update any marketing materials to direct guests to your new domain
• Monitor your bookings and guest inquiries through the Holidu dashboard

If you have any questions or need further assistance during the domain connection process, our support team is here to help. Contact us through the Holidu help center for additional guidance.