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Guestbud

Account & team · for tenants

Custom domains and automatic SSL certificates

Use your own domain or a sub-domain of the platform for the guest portal, with an automatic Let's Encrypt certificate once DNS points to the server.

Guests trust links on your own domain more — and Apple Pay needs one. You can run the portal on an address like stay.your-company.com, for all properties or for one specific property.

1. Create the DNS record #

In your domain's DNS settings create a CNAME record for the sub-domain pointing to the platform host name (or an A record pointing to the server IP). The platform operator tells you the exact target.

Example: stay.your-company.com CNAME portal.example.com

DNS changes usually take a few minutes, sometimes a few hours.

Settings → Domains shows the address and the DNS status
Settings → Domains shows the address and the DNS status

2. Ask the operator to connect it #

Send the domain to the platform operator (via the contact form or your usual contact). They connect it to your account — optionally pinned to one property, so the domain opens that property directly.

3. Certificate #

As soon as the DNS record points to the platform, a free Let's Encrypt certificate is requested automatically and renewed before it expires. Settings → Domains shows the status: certificate requested, issuing, active or failed.

4. Use it #

New guest links use your domain automatically. Existing links on the old address keep working.

Sub-domains of the platform #

Instead of your own domain you can use a sub-domain of the platform host, for example yourname.guestbud.io:

  • Without DNS work: when the operator has a wildcard DNS record and certificate, every host's short name works automatically as shortname.<platform host>.
  • As a connected domain: any sub-domain of the platform host can be connected like your own domain (the operator adds it in the tenant's settings); it gets its own Let's Encrypt certificate, so no wildcard certificate is needed. Another host's short name can't be taken.

Frequently asked questions #

Can I use my main domain (without a sub-domain)? #

We recommend a sub-domain so your website stays where it is. A whole domain is possible if it is used only for the portal.

The certificate failed — what now? #

Almost always the DNS record doesn't point to the platform yet. Fix the record; the operator can retry the certificate with one click.