Published on 05.01.2024 by Teresa Kuen
Aside from yoga, your program or your marketing for your retreat, the choice of accommodation is of course essential.
Not only do many participants decide whether to book the retreat based on the accommodation and the location, but poor conditions and major discrepancies often lead to a lot of worries and a bad mood on site.
To ensure that your next trip is free of stumbling blocks, here are five points that you should consider when choosing accommodation.
Yoga retreats are often characterized by their natural, remote location far away from the hustle and bustle of the city to ensure absolute relaxation.
It only becomes problematic when this remoteness becomes a logistical problem and your participants have to travel over several hours and use different means of transport.
The easier and cheaper the journey is for your participants, the more attractive your retreat will of course be. Nevertheless, when choosing accommodation, you should make sure that the place invites you to relax.
If it happens that the accommodation is a bit more isolated, you should make sure that you offer your yogis as much information and travel details as possible.
Of course it would be best if transport were included in the price. In this way you relieve your participants of this worry.
Attention: Pauschalreisegesetz
The right time for your retreat
One of the most important aspects of planning a retreat is the question of “when”!
Summer is the peak season for most retreats, and popular accommodations are sometimes fully booked years in advance. Nevertheless, it is often worthwhile to organize a retreat at this peak, as most participants have already taken time off.
You can find more information about when most retreats are offered in our latest retreat report.
So that you don't have to resort to average seminar accommodation, we recommend contacting suitable accommodation about 8-12 months before the start of the retreat, especially during high season.
Furthermore, many people often associate certain seasons with certain activities. For example, if you offer a summer yoga retreat in Italy, many participants will also expect access to the beach or at least a pool. Therefore, fulfilling these expectations is also very important.
For most retreat accommodations, purely vegan catering or at least a vegan alternative is now standard. Nevertheless, you should ask to be on the safe side, as this aspect can often lead to great frustration.
It can also happen in smaller accommodations or apartments that you have to provide your own food.
However, accommodation can often recommend a good chef if cooking in a group is not an option.
The key to success: Images and media for the perfect retreat presentation
One aspect that is often forgotten is that appropriate images and media material are often crucial for successfully promoting a retreat. Particularly when booking a holiday, potential participants want to get a clear picture of the rooms and accommodation. Therefore, high-quality images are crucial.
It also often pays to take photos on site yourself, especially if you plan to host retreats at the property in the future.
Accommodations are increasingly offering a shared folder with suitable photos, just ask directly.
The conditions for your next dream hotel.
Finally, about the conditions and why the dream hotel probably remains just a dream. Aside from the obvious price, there are a number of points to consider here.
On the one hand, until when you can withdraw free of charge, and on the other hand, when and how high the down payments are.
In principle, there is no exact guideline until when you can withdraw free of charge.
But it is rarely possible to cancel free of charge in the penultimate or last month before the start of the trip.
A deposit of around 20% is usual when reserving the accommodation and then the final payment is made about 1.5 months before the start of the trip.
However, negotiation skills often play an important role here. If you send the accommodations regular updates on the booking situation and are generally transparent, they will often accommodate you with more flexible payment conditions.
As a yoga retreat organizer, we already have several partner accommodations that we know are perfect for your next yoga retreat. Therefore, contact us for suitable accommodation suggestions at the best conditions.
