Your Ultimate Guide to Planning a Retreat in Tahoe
There’s no shortage of reasons to choose Tahoe for your next retreat.
From sledding down the slope to soaking up the summer sun, the only thing that screams team bonding more is a camp counselor with a bullhorn.
Congrats. You’ve picked your location. Unfortunately, finalizing a destination also comes with a heap of overwhelm as you think about everything associated with retreat planning: venue, catering, team-bonding experiences.
I could go on and on, but the stress already feels a bit suffocating, so let’s just jump to the heart of it because by the end of this article, you’ll be a retreat-planning genius— or at least you’ll know where to find one.
All jokes aside, grab your pen and a notebook because we’re here to walk you through everything you need to know about planning a retreat in Tahoe, including:
Retreat Planning Basics
Venue
Food & Drinks
Epic Team Bonding Experiences
RETREAT BASICS
When to Plan.
Picking a location, hiring catering, planning team bonding events—with all the moving parts of retreat planning, it can seem overwhelming to figure out a timeline.
If you follow our LinkedIn, you already know that planning a retreat nine months in advance is the sweet spot, but here’s why:
For start-ups constantly going through big shifts, a year out is too far in advance to make any real commitment. But, in nine months, you can find a venue that aligns with your budget, collaborate with a retreat planner, and solidify your Vision and Goals for the Company Retreat.
It’s science.
Transportation.
If your employees are from the Bay Area, we recommend driving the gorgeous three-and-a-half-hour drive to Tahoe. However, if you’re team is coming from all over, you can fly to the closest international airport: Reno-Tahoe.
From there, you have a couple options:
Have a private airport shuttle pick your team up. This is best if your team is arriving at similar times.
Dispense an Uber credit. Perfect for when navigating your team’s arrival times fills like jumping into the Chucky Cheese ball pen.
Encourage them to use airport transfer. I like to think of this one as a sort of survival of the fittest GPS-savvy induction.
-> If you’re staying in South Lake, you can ride on the South Tahoe Airporter for a $60 round trip, or if you’re staying on the North Side, you can take the North Tahoe Express shuttle.
Tips and Tricks.
While we recommend planning early, it’s important to be flexible.
If you’re planning a year out, there’s a high chance that your headcount may change. You may have new hires; people may retire or go on maternity leave, etc. You will likely have between a 12% and 20% drop-off rate from invitees to attendees. You can try to predict a future headcount, but the main thing is understanding that flexibility is the key to a good retreat.
The average retreat budget for 2022 is $2,500 per person.
While your budget will fluctuate based on various factors, here’s the formula we prefer to use when talking about money.
Venue: 35%
Food & Beverage: 25%
Team Building: 25%
Other: 15% *ground transport, workspace (if not included in venue budget), swag, etc.
Pro tip: One of the biggest ways we recommend sticking to your budget is by negotiating attrition rates* with your venue. Hotels often let you drop up to 20% of your rooms 30 days before the event. But you can work the system even more. For example, offer to drop 30% before 60 days and an additional 10% 30 days out.
*The percentage of rooms you must fill to avoid a penalty
🤫Hack on how to save on a Tahoe venue to come.
We could spend hours discussing retreat planning tips and tricks on our blog, but you could also leave the retreat planning to us.
WHERE TO STAY
Let's talk venues.
There's no shortage of charming venues in Tahoe, but lucky for you, we've partnered with the best.
Charm radiates off our favorite mountain resort: Basecamp. This venue gives off a close-knit cabin feel that is perfect for team bonding. While we're obsessed with this location in all seasons, we can't help but be a little biased towards fall and winter.
Basecamp is for everyone. Its pet-friendly rooms and accessibility amenities like ramp access, braille signage, and accessibility kits mean everyone's invited. Heck, they even have multiple locations in case you can't decide whether to stay at South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, or even Boulder, Colorado.
Because a Tahoe retreat would be nothing without spending the day in nature, Basecamp offers the perfect environment for an apres-ski: a hot tub, fire pit, and bar equipped with local brews.
And when it's time to get down to business, all Basecamp hotels offer a variety of meeting rooms. If you have a small team, get together in the sun room at Tahoe City or on the mountain view deck equipped for a team of 50 at the Tahoe South location. Or if you're having a larger event, gather in the beer garden. If you have groups of over 150, you can check out Peerspace for other meeting venues in the Tahoe area, like this one.
As we've said, we've got the ins. So from now until December 2023, book a group retreat with Offsite at Basecamp Hotel and receive a 15% discount on your stay! (subject to availability, blackouts and restrictions may apply.)
FOOD & DRINK
We talked about our secret recipe for meal planning in our Santa Monica article but will break it down again: first-night happy hour + last night's special dinner = the perfect formula for getting your team out of the town while still sticking to your budget. In between restaurant days, make sure to utilize catering options.
Tahoe is great for getting that trendy atmosphere while still having home-style cooking that brings the team together. So here are some eats you're going to want to try.
MacDuff's.
You're already going for a mountain retreat; round it all out with comfort food. And if you're talking comfort food, there's no place better than MacDuff's. I mean, even the name brings images of your grandpa smoking a pipe in his study and your nana's homemade chicken pot pie. So make sure you come hungry for options like Truffled Mac and Cheese, Bangers and Mash, and Steak and Guinness Stew.
Cali Burger.
Dear In and out,
You're officially dead to me. I've found a new love: California Burger. Any burger I could dream up, live music, and 100 different whiskeys, you simply can't compete.
Respectfully,
Offsite
Gastromaniac.
Is any event truly complete without a Charcuterie board? Of course not, and while styling them can be fun, food tastes better when you're not the one who's cooking, especially if it's still homemade. Lucky for us, at Gastromaniac, handmade pasta and pizza are served in delicious excess.
Himmel Haus.
Après-ski with a German twist? Yes, please! Authentic German brews like Warsteiner, Hofbrau, and Hacker-Pschorr, with a Haus pretzel and a warm fire, means you can skip the European offsite.
Dragonfly Bagels.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, second only to happy hour. With a menu constantly serving up new flavors of made-from-scratch bagels, like the Cheez-It Bagel, you'll finally understand why your mom always nagged you to eat your breakfast.
Photo Courtesy of Brooks' Bar & Deck
Drink Up.
Even if you don't sign up for the Craft Distillery tour, we highly recommend going on a brew tour in Tahoe. While Tahoe has no shortage of cozy breweries and craft cocktail bars, here are some of our favorites.
Brooks Bar & Deck at Edgewood.
A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it looks like the one to the left. Brooks Bar is the perfect place to treat your team to cocktails and a view. With exquisite blends like Mi Campo Blanco paired with Blood Orange and House Made Apple Cider combined with Caramelized Apple, you're not sacrificing flavor for aesthetic.
Sidellis.
But at the end of the day, mountains are all about boardin' and brews. This brewery is the perfect hangout spot to feel like a local with seasonal beers, sports, and board games.
Photo Courtesy of The Hangar
South Lake Brewing Company.
With on-site brewing and built-in team bonding events like trivia and movie nights, SLBC knows the way to Offsite's heart. There are 15 beers on tap, so you can choose from brews like "Tubular Juicy IPA" and "Range Rider West Coast Pilsner."
The Hangar.
The Hanger spews team-bonding energy. There are several reasons why The Hangar should be where you host your next company happy hour. It's 17,000sq ft of outside space, fireplaces, and over 80 types of brews to choose from, just to name a few.
WHAT TO DO
Loft Tahoe.
Every retreat needs a little magic, and Loft Tahoe is where magicians roam free. One of the easiest ways for team bonding is by creating inside jokes through experiences like these shows. If it’s too much to coordinate tickets for your whole team you can bring the party to you. In some of our past retreats we’ve brought in Cirque De Soleil performers and even local fire dancers!
Hit the Slopes.
Heavenly Mountain has four bases (two in California and two in Nevada) with routes ranging from beginner to expert and views of the lake and Tahoe Basin to enjoy on your ride down.
We may be boarders over here at Offsite, but there are so many ways to hit the slopes this season. You can channel your inner child by sledding at Kahle Park or Sawmill Pond. Or, if you're not looking to spend your time at the bunny hill, try cross-country skiing at Van Sickle Bi-State Park, Hope Valley, or Spooner Lake.
Hot Springs.
Are your muscles sore from skiing hit the hot springs? Less than an hour from Lake Tahoe is David Wally's Hot Springs and Grover Hot Springs for the ultimate relaxing getaway.
Taste the Town.
We already mentioned our fondness of brew tours, but there are also lots of fun ways to taste the town, like this Local Craft Distillery Tour & Cocktail, where you'll sample house-made spirits and learn about the location's history during a VIP distillery visit.
Soak Up the Scenery.
It's no secret that Tahoe is known for its nature and we want to make sure your team enjoys it regardless of season.
Even if you go during the summer, there are still a ton of ways to enjoy nature, like floating down The Truckee River, looking at the scenery of Emerald Bay State Park, or enjoying a paint and sip by the lake.
We also just recommend taking it all in with some downtime. Some of our favorite places to soak up the scenery are Heavenly Middeck, Regan Beach, and Sawmill Pond.
Vegas by the Lake
Not the type for a little mud on your boots? We got you! For old-school casino action with a panoramic view, check out Harveys. Then shine bright at Opal Ultra Lounge, where body painters, go-go dancers, and electric DJs collide.
Whether you're headed to Tahoe for a mountain getaway or a summer adventure, we want to join you!
Don't worry; we're not like Aunt Susan, who insists on overpacking for all family getaways while still managing not to lift a single suitcase. We do the heavy lifting, from negotiating catering and venue rates to planning and executing epic team bonding events and everything in between. Book your free consultation call today.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!