We sat down with Josh Lesnick, President & COO of Collective Retreats, to learn more about his company’s original concept for luxurious spaces that allow people to stay in, commune with, and celebrate in nature. You’re going to want to learn more about Collective Retreats for your next gathering. Read on.
Can you tell us how your team came up with the concept to bring people into nature in an organic, yet very elevated, way?
The idea was conceived based on our founder’s experiences working in luxury hotels and outdoor adventures (with Tough Mudder). We believe there is a better way to connect people and to have them experience locations through the outdoors to gain a greater appreciation for nature. We want to remove the boundaries between indoors and outdoors and let nature lead the experience.
In addition to beautiful accommodations, Collective Retreats emphasizes the full experience with opportunities to explore, interact with others, and enjoy gourmet fare.
Can you share more about the types of experiences you offer that would work well for a weekend or week-long event?
We offer indoor-outdoor event spaces as well as a variety of classes and experiences that play off each location. Outdoor cooking classes, branding and bubbly, spice-making classes, ax-throwing (in Texas) — and have providers that offer horseback riding and fly fishing. Additionally, we do a variety of beverage-making and tasting classes as well as hikes and morning meditation and wellness classes. Our events and meeting spaces build stronger connections. Plus, we are able to curate a wide range of group activities and team-building.
Do you have on-site staff to work with event hosts to plan the most memorable celebration at your properties?
We have dedicated culinary and event service teams to ensure that groups receive the same high-end service and experiences that our leisure guests do.
Additionally, we can curate a range of activities and food and beverage offerings for groups. Our properties are perfect for everything from board meetings, product launches, sales kick-offs, and incentive trips to birthday celebrations and memorable family reunions.
Can you tell us about the unique aesthetic, accommodations, and activities of each property?
Each retreat is designed to remove boundaries as well as capture local aesthetics and design elements. We procure many of our in-room appointments in each retreat’s local area; our in-house design team works with local architects and designers to deliver a truly unique feel that is of the place the retreat is situated in. Guests will get to experience the local environment as well as the local aesthetic.
See the Collective Retreat locations available now on PartySlate:
Collective Governors Island
Offering truly wow-worthy city views, Collective Governors Island is an easy 8-minute ferry from downtown Manhattan. Sprawling green spaces with local flora visually borders the cityscape and includes landmark views that include the Statue of Liberty — offering the best of both worlds. Explore with your guests by indulging in culinary excursions, makers classes, harbor cruises, cocktail crafting, and so much more. Consider this Collective Retreat for any and all corporate events including product launches, team building, and so on, as well as social events like family reunions and milestone celebrations in these indoor and outdoor spaces:
Collective Commons capacity: 20
Three Peaks Lodge capacity: 30-70
Collective Pavilion capacity: 70
The Great Lawn capacity: 175
Collective Hill Country
Collective Hill Country offers a naturally-diverse locale for exploration. Surrounded by scenic towns and less than an hour from Austin, this Collective Retreat location offers vivid sunsets and clear star-speckled evenings — a perfect setting for a meaningful gathering. Create an event with memorable moments like sound mediation, hiking, riding the ranch, and even “bubbly and branding” (Champagne paired with a custom cutting board branding utilizing the campfire). Plan your gathering to include authentic tastes of Texas with the freshest local produce, curated BBQ grill offerings, and a multi-course tasting menu that will wow your guests. Enjoy indoor and outdoor spaces perfect for team building, company planning sessions, intimate gatherings, wellness retreats, and more in these spaces:
Collective Common capacity: 30
The Lookout Terrace capacity: 30
Three Peaks Lodge capacity: 60
Collective Vail
Perfectly-located in Colorado on 1,000 acres of working ranch-land where the high desert landscape meets the Rocky Mountains, Collective Vail brings guests right into the American West. Clear night skies are perfect for celebrating beneath. Like each Collective Retreat, the Vail location offers an immersive experience that is very much of its place. “Farm to ranch” meals and opportunities to explore the land — like horseback riding, fly fishing, mountain biking, picnics, and more — mean that your guests will never be bored and will connect with you and each other in new ways. Your party will enjoy custom chef-driven menus as well as experiences curated for your group. The retreat is perfect for corporate retreats, intimate celebrations, wellness retreats, rehearsal dinners, and more. Choose from a mix of outdoor and indoor venue spaces:
Three Peaks Lodge capacity: 25
The Terrace capacity: 30
What’s next for Collective Retreats? Tell us about your new locations and experiences.
All of our future retreats will operate year-round with a new type of accommodation that is enjoyable for all seasons. We will also be building extensive meeting and event facilities. Additionally, each property will have hidden experiences such as wine caves, cold plunges, and abundant outdoor dinner and event settings (which we like to call “nature’s boardrooms”).
We are working on a number of new retreats including locations in or near: Fredericksburg, Texas; Sonoma County, California; Green Mountains, Vermont; and Big Sky, Montana.
Follow Collective Retreats on Instagram or Facebook to keep up with our latest happenings and openings, and start planning your future events now.