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 process step by step, making it easy even if you're not familiar with domain settings.

Before You Start

Before beginning this process, make sure you have the following:

• Access to your domain provider's settings (such as AWS, Vercel, or similar services)
• Your domain name ready to connect
• Admin access to your Holidu account

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 need from your existing website before proceeding.

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting Your Domain

Step 1: Enable Your Booking Website and Start the Connection

Begin by setting up your booking website in the Holidu app:

1. Click Enable website if it is not already enabled
2. Click Connect my domain
3. Enter your existing domain name

Once you've entered your domain name, a DNS tab will appear in the Holidu app. This tab displays specific DNS values that you'll need to add to your domain provider's settings. Copy these values carefully—you'll use them in the next steps.

Tip: Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS settings. This guide will walk you through each step, and Holidu will guide you through the process as well.

Step 2: Create a New 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 account
2. Look for an option to create a new DNS record or DNS entry
3. In the form that opens, select CNAME for the Type field
4. From the Holidu app, copy the NAME value from the CNAME line and paste it into the name field of your domain provider
5. Copy the VALUE from the same CNAME line in Holidu and paste it into the value field in your domain provider
6. Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields with their pre-filled values
7. Create the record

Example (AWS):

Important: If there are already records saved for the domain you want to use, delete those first. This will disconnect your existing website from the domain, so it will no longer be accessible to guests. This step is necessary so you can connect the domain to your new direct booking website.

Step 3: Add a CAA DNS Record in Your Domain Settings

Next, you'll create a second DNS record for certificate authority authorization:

1. In your domain provider, create another new DNS record
2. Select CAA for the Type field
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 Holidu and paste it into the value field in your domain provider
5. Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields with their pre-filled values
6. Create the record

Note: Some domain providers may require a special format for the value field, such as 0 issue "awstrust.com". In this case, add the value from Holidu in quotation marks within this format.

Step 4: Return to the Holidu App to Verify Your Records

After you've added the CNAME and CAA records to your domain provider, Holidu will automatically verify them:

1. Go back to your Holidu app
2. Holidu automatically checks your DNS settings
3. This verification typically takes around 5 minutes
4. Once verified, your domain status will update and you'll be guided to the final step

Step 5: Add an ALIAS DNS Record in Your Domain Settings

Once Holidu has verified your domain, there's just one more DNS record to add:

1. In your domain provider, create a new DNS record
2. Select ALIAS for the Type field (note: some providers may call this ANAME)
3. Copy the NAME and VALUE from the ALIAS line provided in the Holidu app
4. Paste these values into the corresponding fields in your domain provider
5. Leave the TTL and Routing policy fields with their pre-filled values
6. Create the record

Verification checklist: Before proceeding to the final step, confirm that your domain provider settings now include all three of the following DNS records:

• CNAME record
• CAA record
• ALIAS record

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

Step 6: Final Verification and Go Live

You're almost there! Complete the final verification:

1. Return to the Holidu admin dashboard
2. Wait for the final domain verification to complete
3. Once verified, your direct booking website will be live on your domain

Congratulations! You can now access your direct booking website using your own domain. Your guests will see your branded domain instead of a Holidu subdomain, which helps build trust and increases direct bookings.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during this process or have questions about DNS records, contact Holidu support. We're here to help make sure your domain connection is successful.