𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿.
I’d say about half of the time I decide not to use a venue is because of the beds and the room configurations. Lots of times, potential retreat leaders will get caught up in how cool a venue looks like from the outside and don’t consider how their clients will be spending 33% of their time: 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗱 🛌.
There are a lot of venues that want to cram as many people into their space as possible, but they only have so many rooms to offer. Many places have “dorm room” options where they’ll put two or three sets of bunk beds in there. They also might not have single room options forcing people who don’t know each other to room together. Or share a bed (this happened to me once 😳) and you can be sure that this will anger someone who’s not expecting it.
Other places I’ve looked at only have single beds 30” x 74” (last time you were in one of these you were probably a child) and three or four of them in a space.
Maybe when I was in my early 20s and had lower standards for sleeping arrangements would I have been ok with this (maybe), but nowadays none of the above options would call my name and would actually be a deterrent for me going on a trip- this is also true for many people’s clientele.
Bottom line: if you have actual grown ups coming on your retreat, give them grown up options. Pick a place that they’re feel comfortable, have their desired privacy and sleep well. Ask for the exact room configurations, the measurements of the beds and be honest with yourself about whether or not your participants will be happy with the rooming situation.
There’s so much to keep in mind when looking for a venue that will ensure your retreat will be a smashing success and I’ve already done a lot of the footwork and made a lot of the mistakes on my own so you don’t have to (thank god, right?).
Let’s get on a quick call and get your next retreat in the planning stages this month!