diff --git a/jupyterhub/app.py b/jupyterhub/app.py
index 97a75213..8e5b3df1 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/app.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/app.py
@@ -937,6 +937,9 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
             handlers[i] = tuple(lis)
         return handlers
 
+    extra_handlers = List(help="Register extra page handlers for jupyterhub, should be of the form (<regex>,handler)").tag(config=True)
+    default_url = Any(default_value=None, help='specify default URL for "next_url" (e.g. when user directs to "/"').tag(config=True)
+
     def init_handlers(self):
         h = []
         # load handlers from the authenticator
@@ -945,6 +948,9 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
         h.extend(handlers.default_handlers)
         h.extend(apihandlers.default_handlers)
 
+        # add any user configurable handlers.
+        h.extend(self.extra_handlers)
+
         h.append((r'/logo', LogoHandler, {'path': self.logo_file}))
         self.handlers = self.add_url_prefix(self.hub_prefix, h)
         # some extra handlers, outside hub_prefix
diff --git a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
index e4637b15..658735e6 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
@@ -428,6 +428,8 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
             self.log.warning("Redirecting %s to %s. For sharing public links, use /user-redirect/",
                 self.request.uri, next_url,
             )
+        if not next_url and self.config.JupyterHub.get('default_url'):
+            next_url = self.config.JupyterHub['default_url']
 
         if not next_url:
             # default URL after login