contact@your-gite.fr rather than mariesgite84@gmail.com. This is not vanity: it is what tells
a seriously run property from an improvised listing, and it is the first thing a guest reads when
hesitating to send a deposit to a stranger.
What to know before buying
A domain name does not include a mailbox. Buying your-gite.fr gives you the right to use the
name; receiving mail at it is a separate service, paid separately.
At Hostinger, two roads lead there:
- An e-mail-only plan (Hostinger Email, or Titan Email): a few euros a month per mailbox, which is what you want if you only have the domain with them.
- A mailbox included with web hosting: free, but only if you already pay for hosting — which is pointless here, since your website is already hosted with us.
Check the price at the time of purchase; these plans change often.
Partner link. Our Hostinger link is a referral link: it gives you a discount and pays us a commission. You are free to use another provider; the advice does not change.
Creating the mailbox, step by step
- Sign in to your Hostinger account (hPanel), Emails section.
- Pick the domain, then Create email account.
- Mailbox name:
contact. It is neutral, easy to dictate, and it survives everything — including the day someone else handles the bookings for you. - A long, unique password. Never reuse it: a compromised mailbox is the way into every other account you own, because it is the one receiving the reset links.
- Hostinger adds the necessary DNS records itself if the domain is with them. If it is elsewhere, it gives you lines to copy — send them to us and we will handle it.
Allow a few minutes to a few hours before the mailbox receives its first message.
The three settings that keep you out of the spam folder
An e-mail sent from a badly configured address lands straight in your guest's junk folder. Three DNS records prevent that, and your provider hands them to you ready-made:
- SPF: the list of servers allowed to write in your name.
- DKIM: a signature proving the message was not altered on the way.
- DMARC: what to do with a message that fails the first two tests.
You do not need to understand these three acronyms. You only need to not delete them, and to send us the lines if the domain also serves your website: we set them up with the rest.
What changes on your website
Once the mailbox exists, tell us (or enter it under My website → Texts): it replaces the address shown on your site, and it is the one that receives booking requests.
The automatic e-mails sent to your guests — confirmation, payment link, arrival details — leave our servers for technical reasons, but they carry your name and replies arrive in your mailbox. A guest who replies writes to you, not to us.
One address, not five
The temptation is to create contact@, booking@, info@, accounts@. Resist: every mailbox
costs money, and every unread mailbox is a lost booking. One address, read every day, beats four
gathering dust.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just forward to my Gmail?
Yes, and it is an acceptable way to start: most providers offer free forwarding. Beware though: replying from Gmail shows your Gmail address unless you set it up to send as the domain. The guest then sees two addresses, which is unsettling at the moment of paying.
Should I change my address on Airbnb and Booking?
No, nothing requires it. But using the same professional address everywhere makes life easier: a guest who finds you through three channels recognises the same person.
What happens if I cancel my subscription with you?
Nothing at all for your e-mail: the mailbox is with your provider, the domain is in your name. Neither depends on us.