Breaking down the cost of corporate retreats, from the UK, Europe and more.

Planning a corporate retreat can feel like a budgeting minefield. There's venue hire, accommodation, travel, activities, food and drink, and if you're going abroad, foreign currency and bank fees to factor in too.

This guide breaks down typical corporate retreat costs in the UK and overseas, the main drivers of your budget, and how to keep spending under control without sacrificing impact.

If you're paying international invoices, deposits and expenses in multiple currencies, a Wise Business account can help you hold, convert and spend at the mid-market rate, with local account details in major currencies and no hidden FX markups.

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How much does a corporate retreat cost?

There's no single "standard" corporate retreat cost, the amount will vary significantly depending on group size, location and more. However, recent surveys give useful benchmarks. One European analysis suggests an average 3-day retreat in Europe typically costs £2,000–£3,000 per person, including flights and accommodation¹.

Below we’ll break down likely cost estimates across popular countries globally.

How much is a corporate retreat in the UK?

UK-based retreat providers report venue packages in the region of £150–£500 per person, per day, depending on location, accommodation standard and inclusions (meeting space, catering, AV, activities)².

Accommodation is a major driver. UK travel data shows average hotel prices in London are significantly higher than the rest of the country. Mid-range business hotels in the capital often sit above £200 per night, whereas other English regions can be closer to £100 on average³. Team-building suppliers in London quote activities in the £90–£120 per person range for half-day experiences such as city challenges or facilitated workshops⁴.

Putting this together, a 3-day retreat for 25 people might look roughly like this for a mid-range UK countryside venue (per person):

• Accommodation and meeting space (2–3 nights, full board): £450–£750
• Activities and facilitation: £100–£250
• UK travel (train, coach, mileage): £50–£150

A realistic team building trip price for that scenario is therefore often £600–£1,100+ per person for a domestic offsite, depending on season, location and how activity-heavy the agenda is.

How much does an abroad corporate retreat cost?

For international retreats, you stack flights, longer stays and FX on top of your basic offsite costs. Global retreat planners report that a well-designed 3–4-day offsite commonly lands in the $3,500–$4,000 (≈£2,800–£3,200) per-employee range for small to mid-sized companies, including flights⁵. Some European-focused providers quote averages of £2,000–£3,000 per person for 3 days as a working rule of thumb¹.

Event industry research also suggests average daily costs per attendee for corporate meetings and events are trending towards $170–$180 (£135–£145) globally, once venue, F&B and standard services are included, but before you add flights, premium venues or higher-end experiences⁶.

On top of that, corporate per-diem costs in major cities (hotel, meals and incidentals) often sit between $225 and $319+ per day, depending on whether the city is classed as "standard" or "high-cost"⁷. This makes long-haul retreats in hubs like New York or San Francisco significantly more expensive than short-haul retreats within Europe or North Africa.

Wherever you decide to book, it's worth considering Wise Business when handling international payments, invoices and expenses. With local account details in 8+ currencies, you can book in advance cost-effecitvely, as if you were a local business with low FX fees. You and your team can also make the most of the Wise Business debit card whilst at your destination, across 150+ countries and 40+ currencies.

What is the cost of corporate retreats in Europe?

Europe is the most common destination for UK-based teams because of short flight times and a wide range of price points. Corporate travel data suggests average daily business-travel costs in many European cities hover around $300–$400 (£240–£320) once you factor in accommodation, meals and incidentals⁸.

At the same time, consumer price surveys show that Eastern European capitals such as Riga and Vilnius offer some of the best value city-break costs for UK travellers, with weekend baskets (accommodation, meals, local transport and entertainment) often around £250–£260, compared with over £600 for expensive cities like Edinburgh and other Nordics⁹.

Lisbon and coastal Portugal

Lisbon continues to rank as one of Western Europe's better value city-break destinations, with mid-range weekend costs significantly below top-priced UK cities. For a 3-night retreat from the UK, a rough per-person budget might be:

• Return economy flights (off-peak): £150–£250
• Hotel + meeting space + meals: £500–£800
• Activities and local transport: £150–£300

That puts a realistic range for a Lisbon corporate retreat at roughly £800–£1,350 per person, depending on hotel standard, time of year and how curated your activity schedule is.

Barcelona and other Western European hubs

Barcelona is one of the most in-demand retreat cities for distributed European teams, alongside Lisbon and Greek islands. You can expect slightly higher accommodation and meeting-space costs than in cheaper coastal or inland destinations. A 3-night, mid-range Barcelona retreat for a UK team often falls into the £1,000–£1,600 per-person bracket once flights, hotels, meeting space and planned activities are included.

Budget-friendly Eastern Europe

Eastern European cities offer some of the lowest combined costs across accommodation, meals, transport and entertainment⁹. In cities like Riga, Kraków or Belgrade, you may be able to keep 3-night retreat budgets closer to £800–£1,200 per person, including flights, especially if you travel off-peak and choose simple but comfortable hotels rather than five-star properties.

What is the cost of corporate retreats in the US?

The company offsite cost per person jumps significantly for transatlantic retreats. High-cost locations go for $319 in per diem (≈£255), split between lodging and meals, while standard locations are set at $225 per day⁷.

For a 4-day New York or San Francisco retreat from the UK, a realistic per-person allowance might look like:

• Return long-haul flights: £700–£1,000+
• Accommodation + meals (4 days at high-cost per diem): £1,000+
• Meeting space, activities, ground transport: £400–£600+

It's therefore easy for the US corporate retreat cost per person to approach or exceed £2,000–£2,600 per person, especially for smaller groups that cannot negotiate aggressive volume discounts. Choosing lower-cost cities aligned with the standard per diem or pairing retreats with existing US travel can significantly reduce that figure.

What is the cost of corporate retreats in Asia?

Business-travel reports flag Asian hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore among the most expensive destinations globally, with average business-trip daily costs around $515–$520 per person. By contrast, more budget-friendly Asian cities like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta sit much lower on the daily cost scale¹⁰.

As a rough guide for a 4-night retreat from the UK:

• Singapore / Hong Kong: £900–£1,200 flights + £800–£1,200 on hotels and per-died-level food + £300–£500 on venues and activities ⇒ £2,000–£2,900 per person
• Bangkok / Ho Chi Minh City: similar long-haul flight cost, but lower daily expenses, so you may land around £1,600–£2,300 per person, depending on hotel category and programme design

Because these trips involve multiple currencies and foreign suppliers, FX markups and transfer fees can become a surprisingly large line-item in your company's offsite costs, one area where a multi-currency solution like Wise Business can help.

Key factors influencing corporate retreat expenses

Several core variables will shape your overall corporate retreat cost, even before you choose a specific venue or destination. Group size and length of stay set the basic scale of the budget, while location, level of luxury, activities and package structure determine how far your money goes. Understanding these levers makes it easier to compare options like "UK countryside vs Lisbon" or "2 days vs 3 days" on a like-for-like basis and stay within your corporate retreat budget.

Group size and duration

Retreat budgets scale almost linearly with headcount and number of nights. Survey data from retreat planners indicate that 3–4 days is the most common duration, with an average length around 3.8 days⁵. Fixed costs such as venue hire and facilitation are spread across more people in larger groups, but variable costs (hotel rooms, meals, flights, airport transfers) tend to grow one-for-one with each additional attendee.

It's often more cost-effective to run one slightly longer, well-planned retreat per year than multiple shorter ones, especially if a significant share of your team is flying in from overseas. Companies now average 2.4–2.6 in-person events annually, so aligning your retreat with other key meetings can reduce duplication¹¹.

Location

Location drives both day-to-day prices and travel costs. Accommodation and city-break baskets can vary by more than 2x between the cheapest Eastern European cities and the most expensive destinations like Oslo or Edinburgh⁹.

For UK teams, travelling within the UK or short-haul to Europe typically keeps both flights and time-zone friction low. Long-haul locations can deliver a "wow" factor, but you pay for it through higher airfares, longer travel days and, in some hubs, premium business-travel rates for hotels and meals⁸.

Level of luxury and types of activities

Your corporate retreat budget will stretch very differently depending on whether you choose:

• Simple countryside hotels vs five-star resorts
• Self-guided hikes vs fully facilitated outdoor experiences
• Internal sessions vs external speakers and trainers

Team-building providers in major cities quote around £90–£120 per person for half-day activities, while high-impact, bespoke experiences with specialist facilitators will cost more⁴. Alcohol, fine dining, and exclusive venue hire are often the elements that push budgets from "reasonable" to "premium".

Inclusivity of packages

Some international corporate retreat venues offer per-person, per-day packages that include accommodation, meeting space, standard AV, three meals and coffee breaks. Others charge separately for room hire, catering, AV, and activities. Package deals can make budgeting easier and may be cheaper overall, but it's important to check what's excluded (airport transfers, bar tabs, external activities) so you don't get caught by surprise add-ons.

Tips for budgeting and maximising return on investment

A successful retreat is about ROI, not just spending. Surveys of retreat organisers and employees indicate that in-person gatherings can significantly improve engagement, team cohesion and long-term performance, but only when they're tied to clear goals⁵.

Practical tips for budgeting and maximising your returns include:

• Start with a per-person budget and objectives: Use benchmarks (e.g. £600–£1,100 per person for UK retreat destinations, and £1,000–£2,500+ abroad) to set realistic expectations with leadership¹
• Be flexible on timing and destinations: Off-peak dates and second-tier cities often deliver much better value without compromising on experience, especially in Europe, where cheaper cities still offer strong infrastructure⁹
• Consolidate suppliers and negotiate: Consolidating travel and meetings spend can improve your leverage on rates across hotels and venues⁴
• Track ROI from the start: Use pre- and post-retreat surveys, engagement scores and project outcomes to demonstrate tangible returns, making it easier to justify future company offsite costs.

Having a clear, centralised payments strategy also helps. Paying suppliers and reimbursing staff in different currencies via traditional banks can involve opaque markups and per-transaction fees, which erode the budget you actually put into the experience. This is another area where using Wise Business can keep more of your retreat budget focused on people rather than FX.

Manage corporate expenses with Wise Business, and save on international fees

When you're booking venues in euros, paying hotels in the US or Asia, and reimbursing staff across borders, how you move money matters almost as much as how much you spend. Wise Business is designed to help UK companies manage global B2B payments and team expenses more efficiently.

You can benefit from all of these features:

• International payments at the mid-market rate: Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate* and shows its fee upfront, helping you avoid hidden FX markups when paying international invoices and deposits for your retreat
• Multi-currency account in one place: Hold and manage money in 40+ currencies, so you can pay suppliers in their local currency and decide when to convert based on your budget
• Local account details in major currencies: you can get local account details in key currencies like GBP, EUR, USD and more, letting you pay and be paid like a local without opening multiple foreign bank accounts (only with Wise Business Advanced)
• Integrations with accounting software: Connect Wise Business to tools such as Xero and QuickBooks to sync transactions automatically, reconcile bills, and keep retreat expenses cleanly coded for finance
• Take advantage of Wise Interest to make your funds work harder when you’re not using them (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed).

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By using a single, transparent platform to manage international payments and team expenses, you can reduce the friction and cost of running retreats abroad and spend more of your corporate retreat budget on the parts that actually build culture and performance.

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FAQs

How much budget should I allocate for a corporate retreat?

The average cost per person for a corporate retreat in the UK is roughly £600–£1,100 per person for a 2–3-day event, covering accommodation, food, venue hire, local transport and activities. For international retreats, especially long-haul, a working range of £1,000–£2,500+ per person is common once you factor in flights and higher per-diem costs in major hubs. The right number for your company will depend on strategic importance, headcount and how often you plan to run offsites.

What are the cheapest countries for a corporate retreat?

Price comparisons consistently show that Eastern European cities (such as Riga, Vilnius, Kraków and others) offer some of the best value, with significantly lower combined costs for hotels, meals and local transport than Western European or Nordic capitals. Parts of Southern Europe and some North African destinations can also be good value outside peak season. For long-haul, certain Southeast Asian cities are relatively affordable on the ground, but the cost of flights from the UK needs to be built into your comparison.

Are corporate retreats tax-deductible?

In many jurisdictions, including the UK, corporate retreats can be treated as a legitimate business expense when they are clearly work-related (for example, strategy planning, training, or structured team-building), which can make them deductible for corporation tax purposes. However, rules can be complex, particularly where significant hospitality or entertainment is involved, and treatment differs by country. You should always speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser to confirm how company offsite costs will be treated in your specific circumstances and locations.

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Sources used:

1. Basejam – How much does a company retreat really cost?
2. Retreats and Venues – Ultimate guide for corporate retreats in the United Kingdom
3. Visit Britain – England Hotel Occupancy November 2025
4. Groopeze – The Average Cost Of Team Building In The UK
5. Retreats and Venues – Corporate Retreat Statistics
6. TTR Weekly – Travel costs more as we head for 2024
7. Merline & Meacham, P.A – The 2025–2026 "high-low" per diem business travel rates
8. Business Travel News – Corporate Travel Index: Q4 Global Pricing Review
9. Financial Times – Breaks in Eastern Europe offer the best value for Britons
10. NCG Experience – What Is the Average Cost of Business Travel in 2025?
11. Emburse – The State of Corporate Offsites

Sources last checked on date: 20-Jan-2026