THE OWNERS of a five-star Dartmoor hotel have made it a hattrick of wins at a prestigious award ceremony after generating their strongest employee retention levels since 2018.

Eden Hotel Collection, which operates Bovey Castle at North Bovey, has been named Best Employer at The Springboard Awards For Excellence 2025, which recognises individuals’ and organisations’ innovation and commitment to their teams, communities and the wider industry.

Following the award win, judges described Eden’s dedication to employee engagement ‘as a true exemplar of excellence in the hospitality industry’ as they ‘demonstrated a remarkable commitment to nurturing and developing their team members’.

Eden’s award win comes off the back of a year that has seen its 90-day retention rate average 97 per cent, with overall retention rate of the company’s 550-strong workforce up by 28 per cent – which is its strongest increase since 2018.

This has resulted in vacancies decreasing by 68 per cent year-on-year.

Nearly 50 employees have also completed an apprenticeship or leadership programme in the past year, while more than 70 were promoted.

The improvements have been driven by key initiatives that have been developed based on colleague feedback to aid their wellbeing, including the introduction of Wagestream for early access to earned wages, through to a science-backed reward and recognition system called the Happy Hub to boost feel-good hormones.

Elsewhere, Eden has invested £1.5 million in buying a 15-cottage complex for staff accommodation at Bovey Castle; while an enhanced employee referral programme has been introduced where existing team members can earn up to £1,000 for each successful referral they make.