Blog / Waivers

How Whitmore Lakes Gained Flexibility and Control with ROLLER

Kalyn New
Kalyn New
3 minute read
Last updated:

Key Result #1

£27,000 in bookings within 3 days of launch

Key Result #2

3x faster check-in and refund processing

Key Result #3

Early revenue streams unlocked with popular pre-season bookings

Set within the tranquil Whitmore Estate in the United Kingdom, Whitmore Lakes offers wild swimming, lakeside wood-fired saunas, seasonal events, and immersive wellness retreats. What began as a lakeside destination has quickly grown into a robust retreat with ambitious plans for future expansion. But as the business scaled, the original booking system quickly became a barrier to growth.

 

The challenge: Outgrowing their homegrown solution  

Lauren Pakeman, Operations Manager at Whitmore Lakes, faced mounting challenges with the property’s original, custom-built booking system.

Our previous system had been built for something very specific, which meant that any amendments that we needed to make were really costly and time consuming.
Lauren Pakeman
Operations Manager

When Whitmore Lakes first opened, there was a single bookable lake and the custom-built solution was working well. But as offerings expanded, the system couldn’t handle refunds, memberships, discount codes, and multi-attraction bookings. Making changes to the system was difficult, costly, and took time to implement. 

With peak season approaching, Lauren knew they needed a new system immediately to avoid losing revenue and damaging guest trust.

The solution: A platform built for growth

Under pressure, and with just days before their old system shut off, Lauren turned to ROLLER. As a user of the ROLLER platform via another local venue, she was already familiar with  some of the features and capabilities. 

I’d done some research on ROLLER, and I sent an email and said I’m in a really sticky situation,  I know the costs and the process, and I have the authority to sign today. Josh from ROLLER called me, and by the time we were off the phone, I’d signed the contract.
Lauren Pakeman
Operations Manager

 

Within five days of that call, Lauren and the ROLLER team migrated Whitmore Lakes’ operations to the platform, including hardware setup, product configuration, and website integration. The timeline was so tight that the switch happened within hours. "Our old system was dropping off on Sunday, and our new website was going live with ROLLER the same day. I remember at six o’clock that evening, I sat there refreshing and refreshing our website, and finally, the page came up. I thought, Oh God, this is going to work. Half an hour later, it was live, and I watched the bookings come ‘rolling’ in." 

Within five days, we had ROLLER live—and three days later, we’d made £27,000 [$26,523] in bookings. It proved to our directors that this was absolutely the right move.
Lauren Pakeman
Operations Manager

Results: Smoother operations and smarter marketing

With the previous booking system, it was difficult to scale and changes took days instead of minutes. ROLLER has also given the business the flexibility it needed to truly grow. “Now, when my directors came to me and say, ‘we're opening Lily Pond for private hire add it to the booking system’, I can do it within an hour. Creating the product, adding to the booking system, and advertising on social media all in one quick and easy process”. 

Since adopting ROLLER, Lauren and her team have gone from managing one day at a time to being able to plan ahead with confidence. With full visibility into capacity, they can staff and schedule rosters more effectively, ensuring the right team is in place during peak times.

We could only ever see day to day previously. Now, what we can actively do is plan staffing because I can see all the data points – what the capacity is, how many bookings we’ve received – and I can plan staffing accordingly. The team also knows exactly what to do during closing to prepare for the next day because we have information available to us ahead of time.
Lauren Pakeman
Operations Manager

 

Marketing has also become far more measurable and impactful. Instead of guessing how campaigns perform, the team can instantly see transactions tied directly to social posts, emails, or promotions. “What’s working exceedingly well is the marketing. When I add a new product and bring it to market – an activity, an event – I can then see that money instantly coming in. I can see the transactions showing up immediately after I post on social media or send a marketing email.”

ROLLER has also transformed event planning; , instead of  last-minute announcements, events are now scheduled months in  advance. This helps create  demand and generates advance income that supports staffing and development during the slower winter season.

Looking ahead with confidence

Since outgrowing their custom-built booking system and switching to ROLLER, Whitmore Lakes can now manage multi-attraction bookings, memberships, and event planning with ease. Check-in and refund processes are three times faster, and the team can confidently plan events months in advance.

Beyond the platform itself, what stood out most to Lauren was the dedicated support that made the transition seamless:

“The team at ROLLER has been so knowledgeable about the product. I had two people working alongside me during onboarding, and they were incredible. Everyone moves with urgency. We had my whole ROLLER instance set up in a matter of days, and I had the team beside me every step of the way”
Lauren Pakeman
Operations Manager


To learn more about how ROLLER could help you reach your growth goals, book a chat. 

About Whitmore Lakes

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