Custom URLs (Subdomains)

Custom URLs allow you to create a memorable, branded subdomain for your property page. Instead of a long URL, guests can access your property at a simple address like your-property.bookwithhaven.com.

What Are Custom URLs?

A custom URL (subdomain) is a shorter, branded web address for your property:

Format: your-slug.bookwithhaven.com
Example: beach-house.bookwithhaven.com
Easy to share - Much easier than long property codes

On a multi-unit site that already has its own domain, the subdomain sheet for a listing uses that domain instead of bookwithhaven.com. A listing named Hygge on lakeandhighland.com is offered as hygge.lakeandhighland.com. The sheet has a switch back to hygge.bookwithhaven.com. Search engines index one address. Until the group subdomain is live, that address is the page on the group domain (lakeandhighland.com/property/hygge). Once the subdomain is live, that page sends guests there and drops out of the index. The bookwithhaven.com copy stays reachable and is not indexed while the group domain is the choice. Switching back to bookwithhaven.com does the reverse: the group subdomain is no longer indexed. The site editor's Settings tab, Listing addresses, can still switch every listing on that site at once, and the same switch is inside Search & URLs. Haven uses the slug you save, otherwise a path taken from the listing title, otherwise the listing code. That path only has to be unique among the listings on that one site. Another host's subdomain of the same name does not block it. Change it on Sites → SEO → Listing URLs: open the step and edit the name after /property/. A custom subdomain is still unique across Haven and is still set from the listing's Listing URL card. /properties/{code} is the stable Haven address and is not renamed. Sites → SEO → Redirects is not how a listing address is named. A domain Haven manages gets the subdomain DNS for you. A domain you manage needs one CNAME per listing, shown on Listing addresses. Each listing gets its own certificate, which usually takes a few minutes after the CNAME is in place.

Setting Up a Custom URL

Navigate to Custom URL section - Edit listing → Preferences → Custom domain. The card is titled Listing URL. With no slug yet, the button is Claim a free subdomain
Enter your slug - Choose a short, memorable word or phrase
Check availability - Haven will check if the slug is available
Save - Once available, save your custom URL

Choosing a Good Slug

Your slug should be:

Short - Easy to remember and type
Memorable - Something guests will remember
Relevant - Related to your property name or location
Available - Not already taken by another property

Good Examples

beach-house
downtown-loft
mountain-retreat
sunset-villa

What to Avoid

Very long phrases
Special characters (except hyphens)
Numbers unless necessary
Generic terms that might conflict

Availability Checking

Haven checks availability in real-time:

Green checkmark - Slug is available
Red X - Slug is already taken
Your domain - Shows if it's your current slug

Using Your Custom URL

Once set up:

Share the URL directly with guests
Use in marketing materials
Add to social media profiles
Include in email signatures

Changing Your Custom URL

You can change your custom URL:

Enter a new slug
Check availability
Save to update

What happens to your old URL

When you change your custom URL, the old URL automatically keeps working for 12 months by redirecting visitors to your property's current address. This means:

Old links you've shared in emails, on social media, on business cards, or that have been indexed by Google still find your property.
Search engines transfer SEO signal from the old URL to the new one over time.
Other hosts cannot claim your old URL while it's still redirecting to your property.

After 12 months the old URL is fully released and another host can claim it.

Managing your retired URLs

If you want another host to be able to use one of your old URLs sooner, open the Custom URL section of your property editor. You'll see a "Retired URLs" list with a Release button next to each one. Releasing a URL is permanent — any external links to it will stop reaching your property.

A small grace window (7 days) applies when you change a URL: if you rename within a week of first setting it, no redirect is created. This keeps short-lived experiments from cluttering the retired list and from blocking other hosts.