Groups & Teams

Planning a Cincinnati team offsite for 15 to 40 people

Living room seating in the Blue House's second-floor apartment

A Cincinnati team of 15 to 40 can compare our whole houses for a work stay, with private apartments giving coworkers separate places to sleep, take calls and eat breakfast. The bedroom requirement matters as much as the headcount: coworkers who each need a private bedroom will have a different room plan from relatives sharing beds.

For 15 to 32 people, start by comparing the individual houses. A team of 33 to 40 can consider the two neighboring Francis houses, which sleep 42 together. Our corporate retreat page and house comparison show the options in East Walnut Hills. Describe proposed work sessions before booking; the houses are lodging for registered guests, with no parties or events.

Choose the house around the team's privacy requirements

Team sizeLodging to compareWhat matters for a work stay
15 to 20Historic Gem, Blue House or Victorian EstateWhether the room plan meets each coworker's privacy needs
21 or 22Blue House or Victorian EstateWhich coworkers can share apartments and sleeping spaces
23 to 32Victorian EstateWhether its shared and semi-private areas suit the team
33 to 40The two Francis houses togetherHow the team divides between neighboring buildings

The Blue House has three apartments and includes ethernet and a laptop-friendly workspace in its listing. It is a house to compare when coworkers want several living spaces and a place to work on a laptop.

The Historic Gem gives a smaller team two apartments, with driveway parking as well as street parking. The Victorian Estate is our largest single house, with three apartments off a grand foyer; pairing the Historic Gem and Blue House keeps a team of up to 42 in neighboring buildings.

The two Francis houses also book together for 42 guests. All three houses sleep 74.

Use the full sleeping-layout guide to assign actual rooms and check where beds, air mattresses and semi-private sleeping spaces count toward capacity. If company policy requires one bedroom per person, settle that requirement before choosing the house. A published sleeping total cannot answer it.

These historic houses are not a fit for guests who cannot manage stairs. Our stairs and access guide covers the entrances and apartment routes for travelers who need to assess them.

What separate apartments change during a work stay

Every apartment has its own entrance, kitchen and living space. Coworkers leaving for an early conference session can have breakfast in their apartment while others begin later. Several living spaces also give registered guests places for a smaller conversation or an ordinary call without everyone sharing the same room all day.

The Blue House's ethernet and laptop-friendly workspace are useful details to confirm for the apartment your team will use. Clarify the setup before relying on it for a particular work requirement, including any equipment you need to bring. The listing's workspace detail does not settle a whole team's work plan.

Caley's review comes from a five-person coworker stay at the Blue House:

Space was great! Stayed here for a work trip with coworkers (5 total). Each person had their own bedroom and bathroom, lots of privacy, multiple common areas to hang out in. Everything was clean, bathrooms had plenty of towels and soaps. Street parking was easy.

Caley via Airbnb

A larger team needs its own room assignments. Leave sleeping spaces available to their occupants, particularly when an air mattress uses a living area. A coworker returning from a session should be able to use the room assigned to them; work plans need to fit around that overnight use.

Brenda's public review describes group conversations and individual calls during a Victorian Estate work retreat:

Preston was very responsive and friendly throughout the whole process, starting with my questions before booking. The property was charming, welcoming and comfortable for my work retreat. It offered plenty of room for group conversations as well as enough individual areas for individual calls or work. Thanks for hosting us!

Brenda via Airbnb

Discuss breakout conversations and visitors before booking

Small breakout conversations, calls and working meals among registered coworkers need to be described in the proposed stay. Include the spaces you hope to use and the people involved. Separate apartments can help divide a group, but the lodging reservation still needs to fit our house rules.

A client, facilitator or colleague staying elsewhere is an extra visitor. Discuss those people before arranging a visit, along with any planned team sessions. Registered guests only is the standard rule. Events need a separate venue, and no parties or events are allowed at the houses.

This also applies when part of a company is staying at the house and part is staying elsewhere. The overnight reservation and the daytime work plan are different counts. Both need to be clear before the team books its lodging or invites anyone over.

Make apartment kitchens part of the meal plan

Each apartment has its own kitchen, and the houses have dishwashers. Breakfast supplies can stay with the coworkers using that apartment, which helps when conference departures differ. For a shared meal among registered guests, divide the cooking between kitchens and check the equipment your menu requires.

If the team uses both Francis houses, the meal plan involves kitchens in two buildings. Give each apartment responsibility for its supplies and cleanup. Confirm the dining arrangement you need before assuming the entire sleeping headcount can sit in one room together.

Our Cincinnati guidebook has places to eat away from the house. Check directly with the restaurant for a full-team meal. A conference dinner elsewhere can also leave the apartment kitchens available for coworkers who return earlier or have a different work schedule.

Use specific downtown and airport destinations

The convention venue is now First Financial Center, formerly Duke Energy Convention Center. The naming announcement confirms the name, and the venue's official site is where to check your conference destination.

DestinationHow long by carWhy it matters for the trip
Great American Ball Parkabout 6 minutesA specific downtown destination to compare
First Financial Centerabout 8 minutesThe downtown convention venue
CVG Airportabout 26 minutesArrival and departure flights

These estimates are without traffic. Rush hour, game days and events add time. Use the actual office or meeting destination for any other trip on the agenda; a drive to the ballpark does not cover every downtown building.

Check-in is 4 PM and checkout is 11 AM. Self check-in lets coworkers arrive separately once the apartments are ready. Early arrival is often possible when nobody checks out that morning, and depends on turnover with a same-day departure. Conference and flight plans should use regular check-in until earlier timing is confirmed.

The Historic Gem has driveway and street parking. The Blue House and Victorian Estate have street parking. Cars, vans and a bus have different arrival needs, so the number and type of vehicles belong in the booking plan.

Reserve with the complete team count

Airbnb caps a single booking at 16 guests. Teams above that counter, groups using two houses and groups with special requests use the group inquiry form. Individual house pages link to Airbnb and VRBO.

No pets and no smoking apply to work stays. Quiet hours are 10 PM to 9 AM, including evenings when coworkers return from a conference dinner or finish a call late.

Questions we hear from groups

Can every coworker have a private bedroom on a team offsite?

That depends on the room assignments and your headcount. Check the full sleeping layouts against the team's privacy requirement. Beds and bedrooms are different counts, and the sleeping totals include shared spaces.

Does a company reservation include all the apartments in its house?

Yes. The whole house and its private apartments are reserved for your registered group. Each apartment has its own kitchen and living space, so coworkers can keep different workday routines.

Can a facilitator or client join coworkers at the house?

Discuss any proposed extra visitor before booking and arranging their visit. Registered guests only and no parties or events are the rules for work trips too. Events require a separate venue.

Can conference attendees arrive before afternoon check-in?

Early arrival depends on the departure schedule and turnover. Use 4 PM for the conference travel plan until different timing is confirmed. Self check-in allows separate arrivals after the apartments are ready.

What vehicle details matter for coworkers coming in vans?

The number and type of vehicles matter, including any bus. The Historic Gem has driveway parking as well as street parking; the other two houses have street parking. The arrival arrangement needs to fit the vehicles coming.

Send us the team's dates, full headcount, bedroom privacy requirements, stair needs and vehicles. Include proposed work sessions and any extra visitors in the same inquiry so we can compare the lodging with the work plan.

Sources and current visitor information

Your host, Preston Oglesbee

Preston and his family own and host the three houses in East Walnut Hills and have hosted hundreds of groups in them.

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