When you're ready to publish your website in Website Builder, you can choose between a free Website Builder domain or your custom domain. You can use a free "My Direct Stay" built-in domain that only takes minutes to activate, or use a custom domain to keep your current URL.
Choose your domain type
In Website Builder, you have two options for publishing your website:
Free "My Direct Stay" domain — a built-in Website Builder domain that takes minutes to set up. Your website address will be "yourhotel.mydirectstay.com".
Custom domain — use your existing domain name with Website Builder to keep your current website address.
Publish with a free domain
To publish your website with a free domain in Website Builder:
Go to your Website Builder.
Click the Publish site button at the bottom of your screen or on the Dashboard.
Select Connect with a free domain.
Click Continue.
Enter your preferred domain name (this will appear before .mydirectstay.com).
Click Publish.
Publish with a custom domain
To use your existing domain name in Website Builder, you'll need to update your DNS settings. Note that once you publish with a custom domain, you cannot switch to a free domain.
To publish your website with a custom domain:
Go to your Website Builder.
Click the Publish site button at the bottom of your screen or on the Dashboard.
Select Connect your custom domain.
Click Continue.
Enter your domain name twice (you must type it, not copy and paste).
Click Continue.
Log in to your domain provider account to access your DNS settings.
Update your A record with the values shown in Website Builder.
Update your CNAME record with the values shown in Website Builder.
Click Publish site.
💡 Note:
Only change your web hosting DNS settings. Do not change your e-mail hosting settings.
Publishing can take up to 72 hours, depending on your domain provider.
Find your DNS settings anytime in Website Builder under Advanced settings > DNS settings.
Find your DNS settings
If you need to access your DNS settings after completing the publishing wizard:
Go to your Website Builder.
Click Advanced settings.
Click DNS settings.
Check your DNS configuration
After completing the Website Builder publishing steps, a pop-up window will show:
The required A and CNAME records
The current values on your DNS provider's side
If the records are correct, it will show no action is required
If the records are incorrect, it will show which values need updating
The pop-up window will disappear once your domain is live.
Set up domain forwarding
If you move from your current domain to a Website Builder domain, set up domain forwarding with your domain provider to:
Help visitors find your new website location
Maintain your search engine ranking
Improve your website visibility
After publishing your website in Website Builder:
Submit your website to Google Indexing to improve your search ranking
Update your website content for better search engine optimisation (SEO)
Review and improve your Website Builder features regularly