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 comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process step by step.

Before You Get Started

Before initiating the domain connection process, make sure you have the following in place:

• Access to your domain provider's settings (such as AWS, Vercel, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or similar)
• Your domain name ready to use
• Administrative permissions to modify DNS records

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 have backups or have migrated any necessary content before proceeding.

Step 1: Initiate the Domain Connection in Your Holidu Application

Begin the process directly from your Holidu account dashboard:

1. Log in to your Holidu account
2. Navigate to your website settings
3. Click on "Enable website" if it is not already enabled
4. Click on "Connect my domain"

After you start the setup and enter your existing domain name, a DNS tab will appear displaying the DNS values you need to configure.

Tip: Don't worry if you're not familiar with DNS settings. The following steps will guide you through the process in detail.

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

Now you'll need to log in to your domain provider and create your first DNS record.

What is a CNAME record? A CNAME (Canonical Name) record maps an alias of your domain to another domain name. This tells the internet where your booking website is hosted.

How to create the CNAME record:

1. Log in to your domain provider's control panel
2. Look for an option labeled "DNS settings," "DNS records," or "DNS management"
3. Click the button to create a new DNS record
4. For the "Type" field, select "CNAME"
5. In your Holidu application, locate the CNAME section and copy the "NAME" value
6. Paste this value into the "Name" or "Host" field in your domain provider
7. In your Holidu application, copy the "VALUE" from the CNAME line
8. Paste this value into the "Value" or "Points to" field in your domain provider
9. The fields "TTL" (Time To Live) and "Routing policy" can usually keep their default or prefilled values
10. Save and create the record

Important: If there are already DNS records saved for the domain you want to use, please delete those first. This will disconnect your existing website from the domain, making it inaccessible to customers. 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 CAA record. CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) records specify which certificate authorities are allowed to issue SSL/TLS certificates for your domain, enhancing security.

How to create the CAA record:

1. Return to your domain provider's DNS settings
2. Click to create another new DNS record
3. For the "Type" field, select "CAA"
4. In your Holidu application, copy the "NAME" value from the CAA line
5. Paste this into the "Name" or "Host" field in your domain provider
6. Copy the "VALUE" from the CAA line in your Holidu application
7. Paste this into the "Value" field in your domain provider
8. Note: Some providers may require a special format for the value field. For example, you might need to enter it as: 0 issue "letsencrypt.org". If this applies to your provider, place the value from Holidu in quotation marks within this format
9. The "TTL" and "Routing policy" fields can usually keep their default values
10. Save and create the record

Step 4: Wait for Holidu to Verify Your DNS Records

You've now added the initial DNS records. Now it's time to let Holidu verify them.

What happens next:

1. Head back to your Holidu application
2. Holidu will automatically check the DNS settings you just added
3. This verification process typically takes around 5 minutes, but can sometimes take up to 24 hours depending on your domain provider

Once Holidu verifies your records successfully, you'll see a confirmation message. If verification is delayed, this is normal—DNS changes propagate across the internet gradually. You can proceed to the next step once you receive confirmation.

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

After Holidu verifies your domain successfully, there is one more DNS record to add: an ALIAS record. This is the final step that connects your domain to your booking website.

What is an ALIAS record? An ALIAS record (also called ANAME in some providers) points the root domain directly to your hosting server, similar to a CNAME but working at the domain's root level.

How to create the ALIAS record:

1. Return to your domain provider's DNS settings
2. Create one final new DNS record
3. For the "Type" field, select "ALIAS" (or "ANAME" depending on your provider)
4. In your Holidu application, copy the "Value" provided for the ALIAS record
5. Paste this value into the "Value" field in your domain provider
6. Save and create this record

Before moving forward, ensure your domain provider settings now include all three of these 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

You're almost done! Now perform the final verification:

1. Return to your Holidu application admin interface
2. Navigate to your domain settings section
3. Wait for Holidu to automatically verify that all records are correctly configured
4. This verification may take a couple of minutes to complete

Once the verification is complete and all checks pass, you'll receive a confirmation message. Congratulations! Your domain is now connected to your Direct Booking Website.

Access Your Website

After successful verification, you can now access your Direct Booking Website using your own domain. Simply visit your domain in a web browser, and your booking website will load.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Domain Verification is Taking Longer Than Expected

DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally, although most changes take effect within 5-30 minutes. If verification hasn't completed after several hours, try the following:

• Clear your browser cache and cookies
• Try accessing the domain from a different device or network
• Verify that all three DNS records (CNAME, CAA, and ALIAS) are correctly entered in your domain provider's settings
• Check that you copied the exact values from Holidu without any extra spaces or characters

The Website Shows an Error After Connection

If you see an error message after connecting your domain, this typically means the DNS records haven't fully propagated. Wait a few more hours and refresh your browser. If the issue persists, double-check that all three DNS records are correctly configured in your domain provider's settings.

The Old Website Still Appears

If your old website is still showing instead of your booking website, you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Alternatively, try accessing the site from a different browser or device. If the issue continues, contact our support team using the contact form.

Need Additional Help?

If you encounter any issues during the domain connection process or have questions not covered in this guide, please reach out to our support team. You can contact us using the contact form on our website, and our team will be happy to assist you in connecting your domain.

We're here to help ensure your Direct Booking Website is up and running smoothly on your own domain!