Once viewed as an extravagant “free” vacation for company executives, corporate retreats have been quietly making a post-recession comeback as companies look for ways to get busy team members away from the office to focus on strategic initiatives.
Away from the day-to-day grind and interruptions, corporate retreats are a way to focus and recharge. Some companies bring the whole office, while others bring key decision-makers – all in an effort to build morale, increase productivity and brush up on communication skills.
Team-building exercises, short- and long-term planning sessions and training opportunities are just a few of the activities that can take place at resorts and facilities geared towards corporate retreats. Here’s a look at a few nearby.
Pleasant Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, Greenville County
Operated by the Greenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, this 240-acre facility is just 45 minutes from downtown Greenville and includes group cabins, a swimming pool, activity sites, a fishing pond, a five-mile hiking/biking trail, open fields and picnic shelters. Groups from 10 to 160 can be accommodated.
“We can provide an experience to help your group develop effective communication, enhance trust and enable greater cooperation,” said Kevin Lausch, recreation coordinator at Pleasant Ridge. “Whether you want to spend a half day, full day, weekend or a week building your corporate team, we have a variety of options.”
The Luttrell Lodge serves as the dining hall and main meeting area and includes professional food service and commercial kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, stage with audio/visual equipment, fireplaces, plaza, deck and Wi-Fi. The site can be configured to meet needs and can seat up to 220 for meals or 250 for conferences. The BI-LO Charities Fireside Hall is an open-air pavilion that seats 120 for meals or 180 conference-style. It includes a stage with audio/visual, arts and crafts room, restrooms, canteen, fireplace and large activities field.
For team-building activities, an on-site challenge course combines ropes, logs, cable, platforms and games offering mental and physical challenges. It includes a universally accessible zip line, alpine climbing tower and giant swing. The Team Development Course is a must for groups looking to build a tighter bond and greater understanding of one another, said Lausch.
Large fields and provided equipment are available for volleyball, basketball and disc golf.
Pleasant Ridge is also home to Camp Spearhead, a camp for children with disabilities; Camp Courage, a program of the Greenville Children’s Hospital which serves youth with cancer or other health conditions; and MDA Camp, a program of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Information: pleasantridgecampandretreatcenter.org
Dolce Resort and The Wyndham Peachtree, Peachtree City, Ga.
Two resorts – Dolce and The Wyndham Peachtree, both located just south of Atlanta in Peachtree City, Ga. – host a large number of corporate retreats for companies such as Chick-fil-A, Microsoft, IBM, GE and many others that prefer to be near Atlanta but not right in the city. In fact, Pitney Bowes built what is now the Dolce Resort as its corporate conference center in the 1980s to be away from the gentleman clubs in downtown Atlanta and free from distractions.
The Dolce Hotel and Resort is located on 40 acres of lush grounds. Dolce has 233 guest rooms, some with a lake view. The conference center has 63,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel also has bicycle rentals, tennis courts and an indoor heated pool.
The Wyndham sits on 18 acres overlooking the Flat Creek Golf Course. The hotel and conference center offers 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, 250 guest rooms, two pools, four fire pits, tennis courts and a fitness center.
Information: dolceatlantapeachtree.com and bit.ly/wyndham-preachtree
Lutheridge Conference and Retreat Center, Asheville
Located just south of Asheville, Lutheridge is a 160-acre gated facility that can accommodate up to 180 adults in housing ranging from hotel-style rooms to rustic cabins. Twelve meeting rooms can serve from 10 to 550 guests at a time.
A multipurpose building accommodates up to 552 people in theater-style seating and includes two breakout meeting rooms, a board/conference room and a fitness room. It’s equipped with sound, projectors and screens. Moveable walls allow the breakout rooms to provide flexibility.
On-site amenities include hiking trails, 24-hour fitness room, 24-hour guest service staff, professionally trained chef, indoor climbing wall, group interaction course, climbing tower, lake for fishing or canoeing and disc golf course.
Information: novusway.com/our-sites/lutheridge
