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 Direct Booking > Website Builder.
In 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 Direct Booking > 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.
Change your domain
To update your website's www address, update the CNAME record for your domain .
⚠️ If your domain was previously connected to another website or hosting service outside SiteMinder, contact our support team so they can help release your domain from the previous configuration before you connect it to your new website.
Get your CNAME value from Website Builder
To get the CNAME value you need to update your www address:
Go to Direct Booking > Website Builder.
Click Advanced settings.
Click DNS settings.
Find the CNAME value. It will look similar to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.wb-siteminder.com.
Copy this value. You'll need it in the next step.
Update your domain settings
To update your www address with the new CNAME value:
Log in to the company where you purchased your domain name, for example GoDaddy or Namecheap.
Open your DNS or DNS management settings.
Find the record with type CNAME and name or host www.
Edit this record, or delete and recreate it.
Replace the existing value with the CNAME value you copied from Website Builder.
Save changes.
💡 Only add this CNAME value to your www address. Do not add it to your root domain (the address without "www"), which uses a separate record (called an A record) to connect to Website Builder. Adding the CNAME value there instead can break your website's connection.
This change can take a few minutes up to 72 hours to take effect, depending on your domain provider. You can check whether it's live using a DNS checker tool. Search for your domain and select CNAME. The value shown should match the value in your Website Builder DNS settings.
Once the update is complete, go back to Direct Booking > Website Builder > Advanced settings > DNS settings and check the CNAME row. A green tick under Current data means the update has been detected and you can continue publishing your website.
If you need assistance with changing your domain, contact our support team for assistance.
Find your DNS settings
To view your DNS settings after completing the publishing steps:
Go to Direct Booking > Website Builder.
Click Advanced settings.
Click DNS settings.
⚠️ DNS settings in Website Builder are view-only. You cannot edit or update your domain or DNS settings from within the platform. If you need to make changes, contact your domain provider directly or contact our support team for help.
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