Planning a company offsite should feel exciting, not exhausting. But for most People Ops and team leads, the reality looks more like an endless cycle of spreadsheets, email threads, and vendor negotiations - all while trying to keep everyone happy and stay on budget.
We built Marco to change that equation. Here's how we help companies reclaim their time and stretch their budget further.
The Hidden Cost of DIY Offsite Planning
Most companies underestimate what offsite planning actually costs. The venue and activities are just the visible line items. The real expense? Your team's time.
A typical 50-person company offsite requires 40-80 hours of internal planning time. That's an employee working full-time for one to two weeks - researching venues, negotiating group rates, coordinating logistics, managing RSVPs, arranging transportation, and handling the hundred small details that make or break the experience.
At a loaded cost of $75-150/hour for a senior team member, that's $3,000-$12,000 in hidden labor costs before you've booked a single hotel room.
How Marco Saves You Money
Negotiated Hotel Rates: 20-30% Below Direct Booking
We've built relationships with 3,000+ curated venues across the country. Because we bring consistent group business to these properties, we negotiate rates that individual companies simply can't access on their own. Our clients typically save 20-30% on hotel costs compared to booking directly - and that's before factoring in complimentary meeting space, F&B credits, and other perks we negotiate into group contracts.
For a 40-person retreat over three nights, that translates to $8,000-$15,000 in direct savings on accommodation alone.
No Markup Model
Unlike traditional event planners who mark up vendor costs by 15-25%, Marco operates on a transparent fee structure. You see exactly what the hotel charges and exactly what our planning fee covers. No hidden costs, no inflated invoices.
Eliminate Wasted Spend
First-time offsite planners commonly overspend on things that don't move the needle - oversized meeting rooms, unnecessary AV packages, catering quantities based on hotel minimums rather than actual headcount. Our team has planned thousands of retreats. We know where to invest and where to save, helping you avoid the $5,000+ in typical first-timer mistakes.
How Marco Saves You Time
Venue Sourcing in Days, Not Weeks
Tell us your dates, headcount, vibe, and budget. Within 48 hours, we'll send you a curated shortlist of 3-5 venues that actually fit - not 50 generic options from a directory. Every property on our list has been vetted for group experiences, and we can tell you exactly what the meeting space looks like, what the food is like, and how other teams have used the space.
One Point of Contact, End-to-End
No more juggling separate conversations with the hotel, the activity vendor, the transportation company, and the restaurant. Your Marco planner coordinates everything and gives you a single itinerary, a single budget tracker, and a single person to text when something changes.
Itinerary Builder
Our itinerary builder tool lets you see your entire retreat mapped out - sessions, meals, activities, travel logistics - in one clean view. Share it with your team, collect feedback, and make changes without the spreadsheet chaos.
The Companies That Trust Us
We've planned retreats for teams at Apple, Netflix, Meta, Uber, Coinbase, McKinsey, and Bain - as well as hundreds of startups and mid-stage companies. From 20-person leadership offsites to 500-person all-hands, we've handled it.
What they all have in common: they'd rather spend their energy on designing a great experience for their team, not on logistics.
What You Actually Get
- Venue sourcing - Curated options from 3,000+ vetted properties, matched to your specific needs
- Group hotel booking - Negotiated rates with room blocks, attrition clauses handled
- Activity curation - Team-building experiences, dinners, and excursions tailored to your group
- Logistics coordination - Ground transportation, airport transfers, dietary accommodations
- On-trip support - A dedicated planner available throughout your retreat
- Budget management - Transparent tracking so you know exactly where every dollar goes
Plan Your Next Offsite with Marco
Marco Experiences handles every detail of corporate retreat planning - from venue sourcing and group hotel bookings to curated team activities and on-the-ground logistics. 3,000+ venues. 20-30% hotel savings. One point of contact.
- Take our retreat quiz - get matched with the right destination in 2 minutes
- Book a call with our planning team
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money does using Marco actually save compared to planning independently?
Companies that work with Marco typically save 20-30% on venue and activity costs through our negotiated group rates with 3,000+ partner properties. Additionally, our clients report saving 40-80 hours of internal planning time per retreat.
What is included in Marco's retreat planning service?
Marco handles end-to-end planning: destination recommendations, venue sourcing and negotiation, activity curation, travel logistics, dietary accommodations, a custom Guest Experience Portal for attendees, and on-the-ground coordination.
Is Marco only for large companies?
No. We work with companies from 10-person startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Our service scales to match your group size and budget. Smaller teams often benefit most because they have the least internal bandwidth for offsite logistics.
What if we need to cancel or reschedule our retreat?
Marco's relationships with venue partners give us significantly more flexibility on cancellation and rescheduling than you would get booking directly. We negotiate favorable cancellation terms as part of our group contracts.