At HotelRes, we’re often asked to find venues that offer more than just a meeting room – places where teams can combine work with a little fun, creativity, or downtime. The good news is, there are plenty of options across the UK that do exactly that.
Hotels & Venues with Onsite Activities
Some hotels and conference venues have developed activities onsite to make team events more engaging. From simple garden games to full high ropes courses, golf, or tennis, there’s plenty to choose from. Many also offer mixology or chef-led masterclasses.
Here are just a few of the many examples around the country:
- Down Hall (Essex) – with dedicated outdoor activity spaces for team building – they have just launched their new outdoor dining area in their kitchen gardens. Guests can make their own canapes from the produce grown in the gardens.
- Wyboston Lakes Resort (Bedfordshire) – water sports, golf, and wellness activities alongside extensive conference facilities.
- Center Parcs Woburn Forest (Bedfordshire) – hundreds of activities from zip-lining to archery, perfect for combining meetings with adventure.
- The Lensbury (Richmond, London) – meetings by the Thames with watersports, tennis, gym and spa.
- The Grove (Hertfordshire) – luxury meeting spaces with golf, cookery, and outdoor pursuits.
Hotels with Cookery Schools
Cookery schools are an excellent option for smaller teams, offering both a hands-on challenge and a memorable shared experience.
Here are some of the hotels around the country that have cookery schools onsite:
- Grand Hotel, York
- Tewinbury Farm, Hertfordshire
- Lainston House, Winchester
- Chewton Glen, New Forest
- Swinton Park, Yorkshire
- Lucknam Park, Wiltshire
Activity & Entertainment Venues
More venues are opening with entertainment at their heart – many with private dining or meeting space available too. Here are just some examples we have used recently:
- Boom Battle Bars (nationwide, incl. Cambridge & London) – axe throwing, augmented darts, shuffleboard, karaoke, plus escape rooms and city hunts.
- Flight Club (London, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and more) – darts with a competitive social twist.
- Swingers Crazy Golf (London) – quirky mini golf with food and drink packages.
- Puttshack (London & Watford) – high-tech mini golf and private hire options.
- Electric Gamebox (London, Essex, Manchester) – immersive group gaming, ideal for teams.
- Go Ape (various UK locations, incl. Thetford & Alexandra Palace London) – treetop challenges, zip lines, and outdoor adventure perfect for team building.
- Fairgame (London Canary Wharf) – a nostalgic twist on the fairground with games, cocktails, and street food, designed for grown-up fun.
Cultural & Sporting Venues
For something different, consider venues that mix culture and history with your event. If you’re hosting your event in a museum, stadium, or historic building, don’t forget to make use of what’s already there. Many museums will open galleries after hours or offer private tours during the day. Stadia often include behind-the-scenes talks on the history of the club, and historic houses are usually delighted to arrange guided tours as part of the delegate package.
Here are just some of the venues we have worked with recently:
- National Portrait Gallery (London) – if you dine here, they will open galleries for private tours out of hours.
- Science Museum (London) – interactive exhibits and private tours.
- Natural History Museum (London) – spectacular dinners with gallery access.
- Twickenham Stadium (London) – meetings with rugby tours and museum access, plus team activities on the pitch.
- Newmarket Racecourses (Suffolk) – behind-the-scenes racing tours, jockey experiences, and dining.
- The Imperial War Meusuem North (Manchester) – dine under the wings of a Harrier Jump Jet after your meeting.
- Tottenham Hotspurs Football Stadium (London) – offers tours and for the more adventurous the Dare Skywalk (roof top walk).
Whether it’s a cookery challenge, a stadium tour, a high-energy activity, or an after-hours museum dinner, there are so many ways to build something extra into your next meeting or event.
👉 The HotelRes team are here to help you find the perfect venue – from traditional conference spaces to those that offer a little something more.
