10 Unique Corporate Retreat Locations for 2024 Events

Choosing the right setting for a corporate retreat is like selecting the perfect backdrop for a movie. Just as a film’s location sets the tone and enhances the narrative, the right event space is crucial in shaping your team’s time together.

Make every moment of your next corporate retreat a scene-stealer by carefully curating an environment that aligns with your organizational goals. Below are 10 ideas to help you set the stage for your next event.

Finding Unique Corporate Retreat Locations

There is an art and science behind fostering a conducive environment for productive work, collaboration, and relaxation.

The corporate retreat ideas in this list offer a combination of:

• Versatile meeting spaces
• Comfortable accommodations
• Recreational opportunities
• High-quality amenities
• Beautiful and inspiring surroundings
• Capacity to facilitate team-building

The suggestions are general enough to be used nearly anywhere, year-round, but some sample destinations have been provided for inspiration.

Top 10 Corporate Retreat Venues

Ready to disconnect from the daily routine and develop skills to succeed together? Here are 10 event venues perfect for fostering creativity, engaging employees, and making memories.

1. Glamping Trip

Great for: Teams in need of a technology detox

Sample destinations: National parks, wilderness areas

Skip the stuffy meeting spaces and go outdoors! A glamping trip is the perfect blend of adventure and comfort. Activities like exploring hiking trails and cooking meals together require teamwork, and coworkers can connect during fireside chats under the stars. Plus, there’s a good chance your team won’t be disturbed by phones, technology, or Slack messages.

2. Dude Ranch

Great for: Teams that are hands-on and open to experiential learning

Sample destinations: Texas, Wyoming, Arizona

Give employees a taste of the cowboy lifestyle. A dude ranch experience offers various activities, from outdoor adventures to leisurely downtime.

Team-building activities could include:

• Horseback riding and hiking
• Roping, cattle herding, and other collaborative tasks
• Cowboy cookouts
• Campfire sing-alongs

This variety ensures there’s something for everyone, and the relaxed setting provides a unique backdrop for brainstorming and problem-solving.

3. Wildlife Safari

Great for: Teams that appreciate nature and adventure

Sample destinations: Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, National Parks

For a truly unique retreat experience, go into the wild! A wildlife safari is an exciting and immersive experience for those passionate about conservation or who enjoy outdoor adventures. Wildlife safaris can also be a fitting setting for leadership development, as challenges encountered in the wild can be metaphorically linked to leadership principles.

4. Beach Getaway

Great for: Teams that enjoy socializing in a casual environment

Sample destinations: Miami, San Diego, Hawaii

Who doesn’t love some fun in the sun? Beach getaways are popular choices for corporate offsites because the setting provides a balance between work and play. There’s a wide array of adventure and water sports activities, as well as opportunities for relaxation.

Beach escapes are also a common choice for president’s clubs or other special events, when groups celebrate achievements, milestones, or successes.

5. Urban Recess

Great for: Teams that thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments

Sample destinations: New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Nashville, and Austin

Taking the team to explore a new city can inspire ideas, expand perspectives, and facilitate team bonding. Companies may organize city trips around industry conferences or internal events, such as sales kickoffs.

Activities for the group could include:

• City tours on foot or bike
• Scavenger hunts
• Museums and attractions
• Cultural and artistic workshops
• Cooking classes
• Seeing live music

Plus, cities offer dining options and nightlife opportunities you might not find in more remote locations.

6. Wellness Escape

Great for: Teams focused on wellness or relaxation

Sample destinations: Florida, California

Swap the meeting room for the yoga studio. A serene and peaceful wellness escape provides an escape for the mind, body, and soul. Wellness retreats take many shapes and forms, and are widely available in any part of the world, whether at boutique hotels, resorts, lodges, golf courses, or campsites.

Common types of activities include:

• Spa treatments
• Yoga
• Fitness classes
• Sound baths
• Mindfulness and meditation
• Nutrition and detox

These retreats vary in focus and intensity, catering to diverse preferences and wellness goals.

7. Winery Retreat

Great for: Teams with relaxed and sociable dynamics

Sample destinations: Napa Valley, Martha’s Vineyard

Wineries are increasingly accommodating large groups in need of meeting spaces. A vineyard can be a great retreat venue for a unique, customized event. Of course, this type of get-together centers around wine tasting, but that’s not all. Other activities include:

• Vineyard tours
• Grape harvesting
• Cooking classes
• Wine cellar dinners

Depending on the venue, there may also be space for outdoor activities, team-building games, relaxation, and networking in the vineyard surroundings.

8. Company Cruise

Great for: Teams that enjoy a mix of adventure, entertainment, and social interactions

Sample destinations: Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico

When it comes to event planning, corporate cruise packages can save time and energy. Because the cruise company provides guest rooms, food, and entertainment, the event planner can focus on the other details.

Many cruise companies can also help:

• Build custom team-building exercises, workshops, or excursions
• Plan networking events, such as cocktail receptions and mixers
• Reserve conference rooms with audio-visual technology

Whether cruising the Pacific or Atlantic coast — or perhaps somewhere more far-flung — corporate cruises can help teams unwind, connect, and socialize.

9. Mountain Lodge Company Retreat

Great for: Teams looking to get work done (with a change of scenery)

Sample destinations: Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Tennessee, California, Alaska

From the Rocky Mountains near Denver to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee, a team offsite in the natural beauty of the mountains can be invigorating and inspiring. Teams can conquer challenges together in the great outdoors by day and then brainstorm around the bonfire at night. Mountain lodges provide access to adventure activities as well as cozy common areas for conversation.

While many mountain lodges are open year-round, some operate seasonally or may be pricey during the winter, which is the high season for skiing and snowboarding.

10. High-Thrill Expedition

Great for: Teams that are competitive or high-energy

Sample destinations: National parks, wilderness areas

If your team tends to live adventurously, a get-together themed around a high-thrill outdoor adventure mixes excitement, physical activity, and team-building — and could help raise your team's confidence and synergy. 

Ideas to plan a trip around could include:

• Survival skills workshops
• Kayaking, canoeing, or white-water rafting
• Scuba diving
• Skiing or snowboarding
• Rock climbing or rappelling
• Hiking or mountain biking
• Ziplining or high ropes courses
• Surfing and other watersports

So long as everyone in the group is game to participate, engaging in challenging activities can foster teamwork, communication, and personal growth. 

Turning Corporate Retreat Ideas Into Action

Finding the perfect location is just the beginning. Handling all aspects of planning, booking, and managing travel for the group is the next — and most complicated — step. But corporate event planning doesn’t need to be complicated.

The Navan Team Travel tool was purpose-built to help travel planners organize offsites for corporate groups. The tool is a one-stop-shop where travel managers can:

• Create events in just a few clicks
• Estimate travel budgets 
• Invite participants to book their own travel
• Get support for booking room blocks and meeting spaces
• Invite extra guests, such as speakers

Because this tool is built into a travel and expense management platform, guests can book and manage their own travel and then submit any related expenses quickly, easily, and efficiently. 

Schedule a demo to see how Navan can help bring your team together, or get up and running with Navan in just 5 minutes.