Why choose Las Palmas for your company retreat or workation?

As Transferwise become the latest company to choose Las Palmas – and The House – for their company retreat, we took the opportunity to ask their European development team why they chose to spend some time with us.

Part team building exercise, part getaway in the sun, the Transferwise developers usually work together in the company’s London headquarters and used their 1 week Canarian workation for a brainstorming hackathon, while continuing with their normal projects and business as usual.

Many teams within Transferwise choose to reward their London-based workforce with a break every year. Because few have family commitments, or reasons not to travel, the company are usually free to search a little further afield than the UK.

Gran Canaria makes an obvious choice. Warm all year round, lots to see and do, great food and drink, reasonably priced accommodation and a typically European way of life, are all reasons that influence everyone’s decision to visit the island. As is the fact they’re just a 4 hour flight from London.

Having a great place to work helps

But for Transferwise, who wanted to spend 7 working days away from their regular surroundings, it was also really important they had access to a high quality working environment, with all the facilities they enjoy back home. Somewhere their employees could be comfortable and productive.

The company are no stranger to the idea of workations having previously visited cities including Barcelona, Madrid and Athens. So they had a strong idea of what their people needed, in terms of both accommodation and a place to work. They chose a large family villa, on the outskirts of the city as their base for the fortnight.

Superb facilities make for a productive working environment

And The House fitted their requirements for a temporary office space perfectly. Mixing a large coworking space with serviced office units, in a huge three storey building, has allowed us to combine the best elements of a large agency atmosphere with the intimacy and collaborative vibe of coworking.

Having lots of communal areas, like the coffee bar, lounges, meeting and conference rooms, terraces and kitchen / diner provide our guests with the chance to break away from their desk, meet new people, share ideas or just relax. The ability to take adjoining offices, with a connecting door, meant the Transferwise guys could enjoy the best of both worlds; their own private working and breakout area, within a larger creative environment they had completely free access to.

Gran Canaria is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and city lovers

Although they’d originally planned to take advantage of the island’s superb potential for outdoor activities, like surfing, diving and mountain sports, the London team seemed more than happy to just hang out and be productive in their temporary office, or chill round the pool at their villa.

They did manage to hit the beach at Las Canteras most days and enjoy plenty of great food, in some of the many excellent restaurants and bars of the city’s Triana district, just across the road from The House.

Big enough and flexible enough to fit your working requirements

Providing the facilities for company retreats or workations is something we’ve only been able to offer since moving into our new building. Now we have the space and flexibility to host teams of up to 20, in offices repurposed to match their own specific needs.

We’re still learning. Testing out new ideas, listening to companies like Transferwise and improving our existing services. We’re constantly investing in new technologies or equipment to make our lives easier and more productive. Hopefully, we’ve already created a great environment for everybody who chooses to work here, but we’re only going to get better.

The House provides the perfect base for your working retreat in Las Palmas

Thinking of a company workation? Las Palmas is a superb city to relocate your employees to for company retreats. It offers everything you’d expect from a modern, vibrant city and at The House you’ll find a productive, comfortable and well equipped office space to perfectly match your needs.

Why not give us a call to discuss your company’s needs and we’ll create a package to match them. If you prefer, follow this link to send us an email and tell us what you’re looking for.