Barons Eden — One Connected Platform, Online and On Property

Barons Eden was the group behind Hoar Cross Hall, a spa hotel in rural Staffordshire, and Eden Hall, a countryside day spa in Nottinghamshire, both recognised as among the largest spa resorts in Europe.

In 2026, Barons Eden became Hiddenwell, the new parent brand for a growing collection of destination spa hotels. This case study covers the platform that supported the group up to that point.

Barons Eden had two large spa destinations, each with its own character, and plans to grow. The opportunity was to give the group one digital platform that could serve both properties, sell their full range of experiences directly, and connect the systems behind them.

Spa resorts sell far more than rooms. Spa days, overnight breaks, treatments and packages each have their own availability, timings and rules, so the booking journey needed to reflect how Barons Eden actually operates rather than a standard room-based model.

The brief brought together a CMS to manage content across multiple properties, a bespoke booking engine fully integrated with ResortSuite, and integrations with third-party and partner systems. Alongside these, the group needed reporting that gave the team clear visibility of performance, and a way to carry live data beyond the website onto screens around the properties.

One CMS across the group
Data First developed a bespoke cross-property CMS. The team could manage content for both destinations in one place, while each property kept its own identity, offers and experiences.

A booking engine built around the business
At the centre was a bespoke booking engine fully integrated with ResortSuite. Guests could book spa days, breaks and treatments directly, with availability and pricing drawn from the systems behind them.

Connected systems
Data First integrated third-party applications and partner systems with the website and booking engine, so information passed automatically between them rather than being re-entered by hand.

Reporting
Reporting came from Data First’s own systems and gave the team a clear view of bookings and performance across both properties, supporting decisions at group and property level.

On-property screens
Digital signage around the properties displayed live data from the PMS and website. Information stayed current without manual updates and matched what guests saw online.

Ongoing optimisation
Throughout the partnership, Data First continued to refine the guest journey. As new experiences, packages and services were introduced, the booking journey was developed to sell them in the way the business needed.

Barons Eden gained a platform that worked as one system. Content, bookings, partner systems, reporting and on-property screens drew on the same data, so the team could manage both destinations centrally and sell their full range of experiences direct.

The platform supported the group through seven years of growth and change, and the knowledge built over that time carried directly into the next stage of the business.

The Barons Eden partnership shows the value of one team understanding the whole picture: from the first search on the website to the screens on property, and the data that connects them.

That platform, and seven years of understanding how the business works, became the starting point for Hiddenwell. There, Data First has since developed a fully bespoke booking engine on Agilysys, launched in September 2026. [Read the Hiddenwell case study →]

Data First develops, builds and supports technology for hotels, spas and resorts: booking engines, websites and system integrations.