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: Create your website

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

Note: 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.

Step-by-Step: Customizing Your Booking Website

Step 1: Access your booking website customization

Once your booking website is live, you can personalize your website any time by returning to either access path mentioned in Step 1 above.

When you access your Direct Booking Website dashboard, you can customize it at any time. You can add an image, title, welcome text, and header image to personalize your page. At the bottom of this page you'll also have the option to enable social media via the toggle. Add the link to each of your social media accounts one by one. Select Homepage to customize the look of your booking website.

Step 2: Customize property display and information

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.

To add or edit property details:

Update the logo, title, welcome text, and header image. The logo will appear on your direct booking website. Adding a title will display it over the header image, while the welcome text will appear beneath the main header image. When you upload a header image, it will be shown as the main image on your direct booking website. Please ensure the header image is no larger than 8 MB.

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.

Step 3: Add host information

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 here:

Step 4: Customize design and layout

To customize the layout and theme of your direct booking website, click on Design and choose the layout you prefer. Enable the filter bar toggle at the top of the page so guests can search for available dates. You can also choose how the header image is displayed and pick the color theme.

Step 5: Save your changes

Click Save, and your booking website customization is done. Come back any time to update your direct booking website.

Important note: All content except your website name is automatically translated for visitors using the site in another language.

Customizable Features

Homepage Customization

Your Direct Booking Website homepage is fully customizable to match your brand and property style. You can modify:

• Logo: Upload your business logo, which will appear prominently on your website
• Title: Add a custom title that displays over your header image
• Welcome Text: Include a personalized welcome message for your guests
• Header Image: Upload a high-quality header image (maximum 8 MB) to create a strong first impression
• Social Media Links: Add links to your social media profiles via toggles for each platform

Property Presentation

Each property on your website can be customized to showcase its best features:

• Property Images: Default images are included, but you can customize them with your own photos
• Property Descriptions: Your existing property descriptions from Holidu are automatically used
• Property Order: If you have multiple properties, arrange them in the order you prefer
• Booking Details: Guests access detailed property information and booking options through the Details section

Host Information Section

The Your Host section allows you to build personal connections with potential guests:

• Host Biography: Write a personal description about yourself as a host
• Host Image: Upload a professional photo of yourself
• Visibility Toggle: Control whether this section appears on your public website

Design and Theme Options

Tailor the look and feel of your website to match your brand:

• Layout Selection: Choose from available layout options for your property display
• Filter Bar: Enable or disable the filter bar to allow guests to search for available dates
• Header Image Display: Select how your header image is presented on the page
• Color Theme: Pick a color scheme that matches your brand identity

Optional Enhancements

Step 4: Activate a direct booking discount

To encourage direct bookings and increase conversion rates, consider activating a direct booking discount.

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

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

Step 5: Add the booking module to your existing website

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

How to set it up:

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

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

Best Practices Summary

• Use the Holidu direct booking website or module to grow direct revenue and build guest loyalty
• Activate and clearly display direct booking discounts to give guests a reason to book direct
• Promote your brand and website link across all guest touchpoints
• Automate guest messaging, check-ins, and payments to cut admin time and improve the guest experience
• Keep your site and Holidu property data updated for better conversion
• Use testimonials, personal details, and a mobile-friendly layout to encourage repeat, direct bookings
• Use only your own images to avoid copyright infringement

Troubleshooting and Support

Issue	Solution
Host wants to delete website/data	Reset the website via the Admin UI. The host will need to reactivate the channel to start fresh.
Stuck in setup wizard	Perform a website reset through the Admin UI, then restart the setup process.
404 error or domain conflict	Reset the website and/or reassign the domain. Escalate if the issue persists or is unclear.
Unpublished property or disabled channel	Republish the property, reactivate the Holidu channel, and then retry the setup.
Domain input error	When creating a new domain, do not include ".com" (it's added automatically). Use the full domain only when entering links.