Team Building in Palm Springs: 10 Ideas for a Small Company Retreat

Good team building in Palm Springs gets people outside early, fed well and talking at the same table by sunset. The simplest way to set that up is a full hotel buyout for your team building retreat: all nine suites at The Muse for up to 22 overnight guests, with the courtyard, pool and hot tub to yourselves. For more destination ideas, see our list of company retreat locations.

1. Make the whole hotel your home base

The best offsites have a place everyone drifts back to. At The Muse, that's the courtyard: pool, six-person hot tub, outdoor fireplace, pergola swings and a BBQ grill. The lobby has a large table, booth seating and a large TV for a morning planning session, and Wi-Fi is included. A projector for the courtyard and speakers throughout the property cover the afternoon recap and the evening playlist.

Nine suites means nine bathrooms. Nobody shares a sink with their manager.

2. Start the day with yoga in the courtyard

Book private yoga at The Muse for the whole team, $150 with three days' notice. It works for every fitness level, and it gets people moving before the first coffee debate.

3. Hike Tahquitz Canyon together

Tahquitz Canyon is cared for by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and has a 1.8-mile loop trail to a 60-foot seasonal waterfall, usually fullest in spring. Ranger-led interpretive hikes are offered, which means someone else handles the history and your team just walks. Go early, bring more water than you think, and check the visitor center for current hours.

4. Take a jeep tour to the San Andreas Fault

Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours runs guided off-road tours to the San Andreas Fault and offers group bookings. It's a good mix of scenery and science, and a jeep is the great equalizer. The CEO bounces like everyone else.

5. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The rotating tram cars climb to Mountain Station at 8,516 feet in Mount San Jacinto State Park, where it's much cooler than the valley floor. The tramway publishes group rates, so ask before you buy 20 single tickets. It's an easy half-day for a team with mixed energy levels.

6. Bike the town

Book bike rentals and ride as a group through the mid-century neighborhoods. Our guide to the best bicycling routes in Palm Springs has flat, friendly options. Mornings only from late spring through summer.

7. Hold a BBQ cook-off

Split into teams, assign the courtyard grill and use the full kitchens in Brigitte, Audrey, Marilyn and Taylor for prep. One team does mains, one does sides, one does dessert. Leadership judges and is not allowed to win.

8. Book a private hibachi dinner

A private hibachi dinner at the hotel turns dinner into a show and skips the 22-person reservation. It's the night people remember, mostly because someone tries to catch the shrimp.

9. Learn to make one good cocktail

On a full buyout, add the bartender package: three hours with ice, drinkware and up to three cocktail selections, with alcohol purchased separately. Have each team build a signature drink and name it after a work inside joke. Keep zero-proof options on the list.

10. End with the fireplace and the hot tub

The best conversations happen after the agenda is over. Gather around the outdoor fireplace, take turns in the hot tub, and let the night run on its own. Music is welcome at reasonable volumes until 10PM. In-room massages, 60 or 90 minutes per person and booked at least 48 hours ahead, make a good thank-you for the team that planned it.

When is the best time for a corporate retreat in Palm Springs?

October through May is the sweet spot, with warm days and cool nights for outdoor sessions. Summer afternoons often top 100 degrees, so summer retreats work best with early starts, pool afternoons and evening activities.

Team building FAQ

Cancel your afternoon plans. The pool is warm. Send us your dates and team size, and we'll help you plan the offsite.