Advantages + Disadvantages of Working with a Retreat Center

One of my brand pillars is authenticity. I promise to always be transparent and give it to you straight, so I need to preface this blog with a disclaimer:

I have never hosted with a retreat center so I am not an expert, but I have been approached by several of them and almost all of them in my experience have the same terms, so I’ll share with you my limited experience.

Normally, retreat centers are set up exclusively for retreats, meaning they are not set up as stand-alone rentals or lodging. These companies build or purchase beautiful lodging and hire a manager or director and a chef and then start looking for yoga teachers, coaches, photographers or other wellness practitioners that have their own clients to bring to their center and host their retreat. They are in the business of handling logistics and selling to hosts not to guests. They are actively searching for hosts to make a commitment to use them as their retreat location but putting all of the responsibility on the host to get guests to sign up for the retreat. 

It’s a pretty smart business model if you think about it, because it’s way easier to find one host as opposed to 10-20 guests each week. 

Let’s look at the pro’s and con’s.

Pro’s:

• No up front cost or large deposit needed.

  • Retreat centers require you to book a minimum number of guests. For example, if they wanted you to book 10 clients and you were only able to book 5, you may have to pay them (meaning you take a loss as the host) if they didn’t get the sales number that you had agreed upon. If you encounter this loss situation, the amount of money that you would have to pay the retreat center due to low sales is probably still less than renting a large property on your own. I always rent properties on my own, and every rental that I have worked with requires 50% down when booking and the last 50% 30 or 60 days before your reservation date. The first 50% installment that is made at the time of the reservation has always been non-refundable, and I’ve never rented for less than $6000 per week. If I had to cancel a retreat that I was hosting at a $6000 house rate, I would lose $3000 if I didn’t sell out the retreat and cancelled it before the final installment was required. Large houses are expensive to rent, so that’s a risk you need to be willing to take when hosting.

• Logistics are completely taken care of.

  • Retreat centers appeal to new hosts because they usually handle transportation, meals, lodging, etc. I personally love handling the logistics, I like the challenge of it, but if that makes your stomach turn then you might want to host at a retreat center.

• Liability can be shared or covered.

  • Say you’re a yoga teacher, your insurance to teach yoga might be the only thing that you would need to host a retreat when hosting at a center. This is dependent on the center but most of them have insurance that should cover you as the host  (at least partially).

• Do not need team members or co-hosts.

  • If the thought of assembling a team gives you a headache, most retreat centers are already set to handle most of the support tasks, so you can focus on your schedule and content and leave the rest to the center’s team.

• May have help with sales.

  • I know that most retreat centers say they will help you sell spots to guests but I have found that this is not very successful. Think about it, rarely do people sign up for a retreat where they have no connection with the host. Guests need to know the host personally, or their friend that they’re coming with has to love the host, or maybe they have followed the host on social media for a while. If you’re working with a retreat center and they tell you that they are going to help you with sales, I’d ask to see some proof, but it’s still nice to have help with promotion and at the very least you may get more brand awareness and exposure.

Con’s: 

• Normally do not get paid fairly.

  • When I’m approached by retreat centers, they tell me what I should charge my clients and how much I could expect to get paid per guest. When I crunch the numbers, it feels to me like the retreat center is making all of the money and I’d be doing the majority of the work. Think about it, they literally do the same thing every time they host a retreat regardless of who the host is, and you spend tons of time making an awesome schedule and then you have to work your ass off to sell it. Meanwhile, they’re like we look forward to the one week per year that you’re going to be here. Just make sure you get paid fairly, don’t do anything for free! 

• Less control with schedule.

  • You may have to work around the center’s meal times, menu and excursions. I like picking out the best food and excursions, so this bothers me, but maybe you will enjoy having less decisions to make.

• Can be restricted with excursions and retreat design.

  • All the same reason as above.

• Relying on co-hosts that you have never met/do not know.

  • If you’re hosting in Costa Rica and live in Michigan, chances are the first time you meet the drivers, chefs, and other support staff is going to be on the start date of your retreat, which means you kind of have to hope for the best and there’s not much you can do if they turn out to be terrible.

• Potentially no input on food menu.

  • It always comes back to food with me;) I’ve been hosting retreats for years now, and the majority of the questions and concerns that I get from guests are related to the menu and their food allergies or restrictions. The retreat center’s chef may not be able to or willing to accommodate food allergies or concerns that your guests have. 

So what do you say? Are you ready to finally pull the trigger and host the retreat of your dreams?

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer