Custom Domains

Custom domains allow you to use your own domain name (like www.yourproperty.com) for your Haven property page, giving you a fully branded experience.

What Are Custom Domains?

A custom domain is your own website address:

• Example: www.yourproperty.com or book.yourproperty.com
• Fully branded - Uses your own domain name
• Professional - Looks more established and trustworthy
• Secure - Includes automatic SSL certificate

Setting Up a Custom Domain

Step 1: Purchase a Domain

If you don't already have a domain:

1. Purchase from a domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.)
2. Choose a domain name related to your property
3. Complete the purchase

Step 2: Add Domain to Haven

1. Navigate to Custom Domain section - In your property edit page, scroll to the Custom Domain section
2. Enter your domain - Type your domain name with the www. prefix (e.g., www.yourproperty.com)
3. Save - Click Save to request an SSL certificate

Recommended: Use the www. prefix (e.g., www.yourproperty.com) for best DNS compatibility. You can set up forwarding with your DNS provider to redirect non-www visitors to the www version.

Step 3: Configure DNS

Haven will provide two CNAME records you need to add to your domain's DNS settings:

Record 1: SSL Certificate Verification

This CNAME record verifies domain ownership and enables SSL:

• Type: CNAME
• Name: A unique string starting with _ (provided by Haven)
• Value: An AWS validation address (provided by Haven)
• Purpose: Verifies domain ownership for SSL certificate

Record 2: Route Traffic to Haven

This CNAME record points your domain to Haven:

• Type: CNAME
• Name: www (or your subdomain)
• Value: Your CloudFront distribution domain (provided by Haven)
• Purpose: Routes visitors to your Haven property page

Step 4: Wait for DNS Propagation

• DNS changes can take 5-30 minutes to propagate
• SSL certificate validation may take up to 30 minutes
• Haven will automatically monitor and complete setup when ready

Step 5: Verify Domain

1. Click Verify Domain in Haven
2. Haven will check your SSL certificate status
3. Once verified, your domain will be active automatically

DNS Configuration by Provider

Important: Different DNS providers handle the "Name" or "Host" field differently. Some auto-append your domain name, while others expect you to enter the full domain name. Select your DNS provider in Haven to see the correctly formatted values to copy.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy automatically appends your domain name to the Name field.

1. Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products
2. Click DNS next to your domain
3. Click Add under Records
4. For the Name/Host field: Enter only the subdomain part (e.g., _abc123.www not the full domain)
5. For the Value/Points to field: Paste the full value as shown
6. GoDaddy will automatically add .yourdomain.com to the name

⚠️ Common mistake: If you paste the full domain name (like _abc123.www.yourdomain.com), GoDaddy will create an incorrect record at _abc123.www.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com.

Namecheap

Namecheap automatically appends your domain name to the Host field.

1. Log in to Namecheap and go to Domain List
2. Click Manage next to your domain
3. Go to Advanced DNS
4. For the Host field: Enter only the subdomain part
5. For the Value field: Paste the full value as shown

Google Domains / Squarespace

Google Domains automatically appends your domain name.

1. Log in to Google Domains / Squarespace
2. Select your domain
3. Go to DNS settings
4. For the Host name field: Enter only the subdomain part
5. For the Data field: Paste the full value as shown

Cloudflare

Cloudflare automatically appends your domain name.

1. Log in to Cloudflare
2. Select your domain
3. Go to DNS settings
4. For the Name field: Enter only the subdomain part
5. For the Target field: Paste the full value as shown
6. Important: Set proxy status to "DNS only" (gray cloud) for the SSL validation record

AWS Route 53

Route 53 does NOT auto-append - you must enter the full domain name.

1. Go to Hosted Zones and select your domain
2. Click Create record
3. For the Record name field: Enter the FULL record name including your domain
4. For the Value field: Paste the target value
5. Select CNAME as the record type

Setting Up Non-WWW Redirect

If you want visitors who type yourproperty.com (without www) to automatically go to www.yourproperty.com:

1. Set up your custom domain with the www. prefix in Haven
2. In your DNS provider, set up forwarding or redirect from the root domain to the www version
3. Most providers have a "Forwarding" or "Redirect" option in their DNS settings

Removing a Custom Domain

1. Click the Remove button next to your custom domain
2. Confirm the removal
3. Haven will automatically:
   • Delete the SSL certificate
   • Remove the domain from CloudFront
   • Clear the configuration

Troubleshooting

Domain Not Verifying

• Check DNS records - Ensure both CNAME records are added correctly
• Wait for propagation - DNS changes can take up to 30 minutes
• Check for typos - Copy/paste the values exactly as shown
• Contact support if issues persist after 30 minutes

Double Domain Issue (Common with GoDaddy, Namecheap)

If your SSL certificate isn't being verified after 30+ minutes, you may have a "double domain" issue:

What happens: You pasted the full domain name (e.g., _abc123.www.yourproperty.com) into the Name field, but your DNS provider automatically adds your domain. This creates an incorrect record like _abc123.www.yourproperty.com.yourproperty.com.

How to check: Use a DNS lookup tool to verify:

dig _abc123.www.yourproperty.com CNAME

If it returns nothing, but adding .yourproperty.com to the end returns a result, you have a double domain issue.

How to fix:

1. Delete the incorrect CNAME record
2. Re-add it with ONLY the subdomain part in the Name field (e.g., _abc123.www)
3. Let your DNS provider add the domain automatically

SSL Certificate Issues

• SSL certificates are automatically provisioned once DNS is verified
• If SSL isn't working after verification, try clicking Verify Domain again
• Certificate provisioning can take a few minutes after DNS verification

Domain Shows Error After Setup

• Ensure the routing CNAME record points to the CloudFront domain (not to bookwithhaven.com)
• Check that your DNS provider doesn't have conflicting records
• Try removing and re-adding the domain if issues persist

ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH

This error usually means the SSL certificate hasn't been validated yet:

• Check that the SSL validation CNAME record is correctly configured
• Wait for DNS propagation (up to 30 minutes)
• Click Verify Domain to check the certificate status

Best Practices

1. Use www. prefix - Works with all DNS providers (CNAME records don't work at root domain with some providers)
2. Set up forwarding - Redirect non-www to www for consistency
3. Keep it simple - Shorter domains are easier to remember
4. Update DNS promptly - Faster DNS updates mean quicker setup

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