How to Connect Your Booking Website to Your Own Domain

Already have a domain you would like to use? Great news—you can now connect it to your Holidu booking website! This guide will walk you through the process step by step, making it easy to establish your online presence with your own custom domain.

Before You Start

Before you begin, make sure you have access to your domain provider's settings. Common domain providers include AWS, Vercel, GoDaddy, Namecheap, and others. You'll need administrative access to manage your domain's DNS records.

Important: 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 you're ready to make this transition before proceeding.

Step 1: Initiate the Connection Process in Your Holidu Application

Start by accessing your Holidu application settings to begin connecting your domain:

• Click on "Enable website" if it is not enabled yet
• Click on "Connect my domain"

After you enter your existing domain name, a DNS tab will appear with specific DNS values generated by Holidu. You will need to copy these values and add them to your domain provider's settings in the following steps.

Tip: Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS settings—we will guide you through each step below.

Step 2: Create a CNAME Record in Your Domain Settings

Now log in to your domain provider account and look for an option to create a new DNS record. A mask or form will open where you can add the record details.

Follow these steps:

• For the "Type" field, select CNAME
• In the Holidu application, copy the "NAME" value from the CNAME line and paste it into the name field of your domain provider's form
• Copy the "VALUE" from the same CNAME line in Holidu and paste it into the value field of your domain provider's form
• The fields "TTL" and "Routing policy" can usually keep their prefilled values

Once you've entered all the required information, create the record in your domain provider's settings.

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

Step 3: Add a CAA DNS Record

Create another record in your domain provider's settings. This time, follow these steps:

• For the "Type" field, select CAA
• In the Holidu application, copy the "NAME" value from the CAA line and paste it into the name field of your domain provider's form
• Copy the "VALUE" from the CAA line in Holidu and paste it into the value field of your domain provider's form
• Some domain providers may require a special format for the value field. For example, if your provider asks for a format like "0 issue", add the value from Holidu in quotation marks (for example: 0 issue "http://awstrust.com")
• The fields "TTL" and "Routing policy" can usually keep their prefilled values

Once you've entered all the information, create the record in your domain provider's settings.

Step 4: Verify Your DNS Records in Holidu

Return to your Holidu application. Holidu will automatically check the DNS records you've just added. This verification process usually takes around 5 minutes.

Once Holidu verifies that your DNS records are correctly configured, you'll receive confirmation and be guided to the final setup step. Keep this window open while the system checks your records.

Step 5: Add an ALIAS DNS Record

After Holidu verifies your domain, there is one more DNS record to add. Holidu will provide you with the specific values for this final step.

Create a new record in your domain provider's settings and follow these steps:

• Change the "Type" field to ALIAS
• In the Holidu application, copy the "VALUE" provided for the ALIAS record
• Paste this value into the "VALUE" field in your domain provider's settings

Before moving forward, verify that your domain provider settings now include all three required records:

• ALIAS
• CAA
• CNAME

All three records are necessary for your Direct Booking website to connect properly to your custom domain.

Step 6: Final Verification

Return to your Holidu admin interface and wait for the final domain verification to complete. Holidu will automatically check all the DNS records you have configured. This process may take a couple of minutes.

Once the verification is complete and all records are confirmed, you will receive a success notification. At this point, your Direct Booking website is now accessible via your own custom domain.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the entire process take?

The DNS verification process typically takes around 5 to 10 minutes, but in some cases it may take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate across the internet. If you don't see your website accessible immediately after verification, please wait a bit longer and refresh your browser.

What if my domain provider uses different terminology?

While most domain providers use standard DNS terminology, some may use slightly different names for the same record types. If you're unsure about any field, consult your domain provider's documentation or contact their support team for clarification on how to add CNAME, CAA, and ALIAS records.

Can I connect multiple domains to my Holidu website?

Currently, you can connect one primary domain to your Holidu Direct Booking website. If you have questions about additional domain configurations, please use the contact form to reach our support team.

What happens to my old website after connecting the domain?

Once your domain is successfully connected to your Holidu Direct Booking website, your previous website will no longer be accessible via that domain. This is why we recommend backing up any important content from your old site before beginning this process.

I see an error during verification. What should I do?

If you encounter an error during the verification process, double-check that you've correctly copied all the NAME and VALUE fields from Holidu into your domain provider's settings. Make sure there are no extra spaces or typos. If the issue persists, please use our contact form to get assistance from our support team.

Need Additional Help?

If you have questions about connecting your domain or encounter any issues during the setup process, please use the contact form on our help center to reach our support team. We're here to help you get your Direct Booking website up and running smoothly.