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 step-by-step, making it easy even if you're new to DNS 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, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or similar platforms)
• Your Holidu account with admin access to the booking website settings
• A clear understanding that any existing website on this domain will be replaced once the process is complete

If you already have a website live on that domain, it will no longer be accessible after you complete this connection. Plan accordingly and ensure you have backups if needed.

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting Your Domain

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

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

1. Log in to your Holidu account and navigate to your booking website settings.
2. Click on Enable website if it is not already enabled.
3. Click on Connect my domain to begin the setup process.
4. Enter your existing domain name when prompted.

Once you enter your domain name, a DNS tab will appear in your Holidu app. This tab contains the specific DNS values that Holidu has generated for your domain. These values are crucial for the next steps, so make sure to copy them carefully.

Tip: Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS settings. We'll guide you through each step, and most domain providers have similar layouts for creating DNS records.

Step 2: Create a CNAME DNS Record in Your Domain Settings

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

1. Log in to your domain provider's control panel (AWS, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Vercel, or whichever provider you use).
2. Look for an option to create a new DNS record or new record. Click on it to open the record creation form.
3. For the Type field, select CNAME from the dropdown menu.
4. In the Holidu app, locate the CNAME line and copy the "NAME" value (labeled as 1 in the interface).
5. Paste this NAME value into the name field of the DNS record you're creating in your domain provider.
6. Still in the Holidu app, copy the "VALUE" from the same CNAME line (labeled as 2 in the interface).
7. Paste this VALUE into the value field of your DNS record.
8. Leave the "TTL" (Time To Live) and "Routing policy" fields at their pre-filled default values unless your provider requires otherwise.
9. Click to create the record.

Example (AWS):

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

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

The next record you'll create helps secure your domain connection:

1. In your domain provider's control panel, create another new DNS record.
2. For the Type field, select CAA from the dropdown.
3. In the Holidu app, find the CAA line and copy the "NAME" value (labeled as 3).
4. Paste this NAME value into the name field of your new DNS record.
5. Copy the "VALUE" from the CAA line in the Holidu app (labeled as 4).
6. Paste this VALUE into the value field of your DNS record.

Special Note for Some Domain Providers: Some providers require a specific format for the CAA value field. For example, AWS and similar providers may require the format: 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" or similar. If your provider shows this format requirement, add the value from Holidu within quotation marks, like this: 0 issue "your-holidu-value-here".

1. Leave the "TTL" and "Routing policy" fields at their default values.
2. Click to create the record.

Step 4: Return to Holidu to Verify Your DNS Records

After you've created both the CNAME and CAA records in your domain provider, Holidu will automatically check your DNS settings:

1. Go back to your Holidu app where you started the domain connection process.
2. Holidu automatically checks to confirm that the DNS records you just created are in place and correctly configured.
3. This verification process typically takes around 5 minutes, though it can sometimes take up to 15 minutes depending on your domain provider.
4. Once verification is complete and everything looks correct, you'll be guided to the final setup steps.

What if verification takes longer? DNS changes can take time to propagate across the internet. If your records aren't verified after 15 minutes, double-check that you've entered the CNAME and CAA values exactly as they appear in the Holidu app, character for character. Even small typos can cause verification to fail.

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. For the Type field, select ALIAS.
3. In the Holidu app, find the ALIAS line and copy the values provided.
4. Paste the NAME value into the name field of your new DNS record.
5. Paste the VALUE from Holidu into the value field.
6. Leave TTL and Routing policy at their default values.
7. Click to create the record.

Verification Checklist: Before moving forward, make sure your domain provider settings now include all three of the following DNS records:

• ALIAS record
• CAA record
• CNAME record

All three records are required for your Holidu direct booking website to connect properly to your domain. If any are missing, the connection won't work correctly.

Step 6: Final Verification and Go Live

You're almost done! Here's the final step:

1. Return to the Holidu admin interface where you initiated the domain connection.
2. Wait while Holidu performs a final verification of your domain and all DNS records.
3. Once verification is complete and successful, you'll receive confirmation.
4. Your direct booking website is now live and accessible via your own domain!

Troubleshooting Tips

Verification is taking longer than expected: DNS propagation can vary. Wait up to 24 hours for changes to fully propagate globally. In most cases, it happens within 5-15 minutes.

Records won't verify: Double-check that you've copied the values exactly from the Holidu app. Even one character difference will cause verification to fail. Ensure you've deleted any old DNS records for this domain.

Website still shows old content: After successful domain connection, it can take a few minutes for your browser cache to update. Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache.

Need more help? If you encounter any issues during this process, our support team is here to help. Contact us with details about which step you're stuck on and any error messages you're seeing.

Summary

Connecting your own domain to your Holidu booking website is straightforward when you follow these six steps:

1. Enable your website and start the domain connection in Holidu
2. Create a CNAME DNS record in your domain settings
3. Add a CAA DNS record in your domain settings
4. Return to Holidu to verify your DNS records
5. Add an ALIAS DNS record in your domain settings
6. Complete final verification in Holidu

Once you've completed all six steps, your booking website will be live on your own domain, helping you establish your brand and drive direct bookings. This professional setup allows your guests to book directly with you, reducing intermediaries and strengthening your business presence online.