Cheat sheet

The numbers are typical of group contracts as of 2026-10. Your numbers are in your contract. This is not legal advice.

Venue payments

• First payment at signing — often about a quarter of the contract, sometimes a fixed sum or the cost of one night.
• Balance — usually a week to a month before arrival.
• The venue's point of no return — 90–120 days before arrival, after which the charge rises to 100 %.
• A hotel contract usually allows a shortfall of 10–20 % of places. This is a contract term, not a law.

Guest terms

• The guests' last refund date comes before the venue's point of no return.
• A small first payment secures the place; when it becomes non-refundable is stated in advance.
• Then a scale by days, tied to your obligations.
• A transfer to the next retreat and passing the place on — at the guest's choice, instead of a refund.

Signs of a package holiday (EU and UK)

• There is an overnight stay.
• Accommodation and the program are sold together, at one price or through one link.
• The program is the essence of the offer, or about 25 % of the cost or more.
• The guests are residents of the EU or the UK.

Then the organiser is most likely whoever put the package together and sells it. The law requires them to protect guests' money against their insolvency (02/u3).

Questions for the contract

• Which model: full campus, per guest with a minimum, buyout?
• What does the package include: accommodation, meals, halls, transfers, equipment?
• What is the minimum group and when is it fixed?
• The payment schedule and the cancellation scale by days?
• When is the final guest count and menu due?
• Where are prepayments kept, and what happens if the venue closes?
• What insurance does the venue expect from the leader?
• Which currency is the contract in?