Hospitable offers two ways to accept direct bookings: a hosted direct booking website and an embeddable booking widget you can add to your own site. This article helps you troubleshoot common setup issues for both.
Hospitable Direct Booking Site
My website isn't showing my properties
If your direct booking website is live but properties aren't appearing:
Check that properties are enabled for direct booking. Go to Direct Bookings → Site Editor → Properties and confirm each property you want listed has direct booking toggled on.
Check your listing status. Properties that are muted, paused, or have no availability won't appear on your direct booking site.
Allow time for sync. After enabling a property, it can take a few minutes for it to appear on your site. Hard-refresh the page (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R) to check.
My custom domain isn't working
If you've set up a custom domain for your direct booking site but it's not resolving or shows an error:
Verify your DNS records. You need a CNAME record pointing to the Hospitable-provided target. Go to Direct → Settings → Custom Domain to find the exact CNAME value you need.
Wait for DNS propagation. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate. If you just set it up, wait, and try again later.
Remove conflicting DNS records. Make sure you don't have conflicting A records or other DNS entries for the same subdomain. Conflicting records can prevent the CNAME from working.
Check for SSL certificate issues. If your site loads but shows a security warning, the SSL certificate may not have been issued yet. This usually resolves automatically within a few hours of correct DNS setup.
You can use free tools like Google's Dig tool to check your current DNS configuration, or SSL Labs to verify your SSL certificate status.
The most common custom domain issue is a conflicting A record. If you previously pointed your domain directly to a web host, that A record may still exist and override your new CNAME. Check with your domain provider and remove any A or AAAA records for the same subdomain.
Guests can't complete payment on my direct booking site
If a guest reaches the payment step but can't complete it:
Ask the guest to try a different card or browser. Some card issuers decline transactions from unfamiliar merchants.
Check for booking restrictions. Minimum or maximum stay restrictions, advance notice requirements, or preparation time settings can block a booking at the last step if the selected dates don't meet the criteria.
(Direct Basic Users) Confirm your Stripe account is connected and active under Direct Booking → Payments.
If using Stripe, make sure your Stripe account has completed onboarding and is not in restricted mode.
My Photos or Images Aren't Displaying
If your direct booking site loads but property photos are missing or broken:
Confirm photos exist in Hospitable. Go to Properties → [Your Property] → Details and check if photos are showing there.
Enable photos for Direct. Go to Properties → [Your Property] → Details → Manage Photos → [Click On Photo] and make sure the photos are enabled for Direct as shown in the graphic below:
Self-Hosted Site (Widget)
Widget doesn't appear on my website
If you've embedded the widget code but nothing shows:
Check the embed code. Go to Direct Booking → Widget and copy the embed code again. Paste it into the HTML of your page exactly as provided — don't modify the
<script>tags.Check for JavaScript conflicts. Some website builders or themes may block third-party scripts. Try the widget on a plain HTML test page to confirm it works outside your site's environment.
Check your browser console. Open your browser's developer tools (F12 → Console) and look for error messages related to the widget script.
Widget shows wrong availability or prices
If the widget is loading but showing incorrect data:
Make sure your rates and availability are up to date in Hospitable. The widget pulls directly from your Hospitable settings.
If you recently changed rates, wait a few minutes and refresh — there can be a short cache delay.
Double-check that the correct property is assigned to the widget. If you have multiple properties, each widget instance needs to be configured for the right one.
Setting Up Guest Payments for Direct Bookings
To accept payments through direct bookings, you need a connected payment processor:
Go to Direct Booking → Payments.
Click Connect Stripe and follow the prompts to create or link your Stripe account.
Once connected, set your payment terms — for example, full payment at booking, or a deposit with the balance due closer to check-in.
If you're in a country where Stripe isn't available, contact our support team to discuss alternative options.
Still Having Trouble?
If your issue doesn't match any of the scenarios above, or the troubleshooting steps didn't resolve it, contact our support team. To help us investigate faster, please include:
The URL of your direct booking site (or the page where the widget is embedded)
A screenshot of what you're seeing
The browser and device you're using
Which properties are affected (if not all of them)
Any recent changes you made (e.g., enabling a property, updating DNS, changing your plan)
Whether you're using the hosted website or the embeddable widget.