When you're organizing accommodation for 40 people, you'll probably look at three options: manor rentals, hotels, and Airbnb/VRBO properties. Each promises to solve the problem. But actually living through the experience reveals which one works and which ones create more problems than they solve.
I've watched groups try all three. Corporate retreats split across hotel floors. Family reunions scattered across multiple Airbnb properties. Teams crammed into properties that claimed to fit 40 people but actually required sofa beds and creative space-sharing. The difference in experience quality is real, and it's not what you'd expect.
Let's talk about what actually happens with each option, because the marketing websites don't always match reality.
The Hotel Experience: What Actually Happens
Hotels seem like the safe choice. They're predictable. You know what you're getting. But when you're dealing with 40 people, hotels create a specific set of problems that aren't obvious until you're in the middle of them.
First, you're looking at roughly 20 rooms for 40 people (assuming two per room). At €150-€200 per room per night in decent hotels near the Belgian Ardennes, you're spending €6,000-€8,000 for Friday and Saturday nights. That's before breakfast (€15-€25 per person, so another €600-€1,000), before meeting room rentals (€500-€1,000 per day), and before realizing you're scattered across multiple floors.
The real problem isn't the price. It's the fragmentation. Your group isn't together. People check in, get their keys, go to their rooms, and you're isolated. Common spaces are public—anyone can walk through. There's no natural gathering place where your 40 people actually own the space.
Then there's the meeting situation. Hotels charge extra for meeting rooms. You're looking at €500-€1,000 per day for a conference room that seats 30-40 people. And those rooms feel like what they are—corporate spaces designed for presentations, not group discussions or casual interaction.
Break times become fragmented. People grab coffee from different places, sit in different corners of the lobby, or go back to their rooms. There's no central space where everyone naturally gravitates. And forget about evening activities—hotels don't have grounds to explore, spaces to relax together, or any real character that encourages casual interaction.
For corporate retreats, this creates a specific problem. Your team isn't actually connecting because the spaces work against connection. You're having structured activities, but the organic conversations that matter don't happen.
The Airbnb/VRBO Experience: The Reality Check
Airbnb and VRBO can look cheaper at first glance. You might find properties advertised at €200-€300 per night. But here's what happens when you dig into the details.
Finding a single property that actually accommodates 40 people comfortably is nearly impossible. Most large Airbnb listings top out at 20-25 guests, and even then they're often stretching it with sofa beds and creative room configurations. You end up booking multiple properties and dealing with the logistics of coordinating across separate locations.
Even if you find one property claiming to fit 40, you're usually looking at shared bathrooms (nightmare scenario with 40 people), cramped conditions, or creative sleeping arrangements that nobody actually wants. The "cheap" option becomes expensive when you're dealing with discomfort, scheduling conflicts, and the organizational nightmare of managing 40 people across multiple spaces.
There's also the unpredictability factor. You're dealing with individual hosts, not established businesses. Photos might not match reality. Amenities might not work as advertised. Cancellations happen. And when you're organizing for 40 people, that unpredictability becomes a significant risk.
Privacy becomes an issue too. Airbnb properties are often in residential areas where noise complaints become a concern. You're sharing walls with neighbors, worrying about parking, and dealing with the constraints of residential locations instead of having an entire property to yourselves.
The Manor Rental: Why It's Different
Historic manors in the Belgian Ardennes solve the problems that hotels and Airbnb create. You're not renting rooms in a building shared with strangers. You're renting an entire property exclusively for your 40 guests.
The entire property is yours. 18 rooms, each with private bathrooms. Indoor and outdoor pools. Sauna. Expansive grounds. Common areas large enough for your entire group. All to yourselves. No other guests. No noise complaints. No shared facilities. Complete privacy and control.
Price-wise, you're looking at roughly €5,000 for a weekend. That's the entire property for Friday through Sunday. Everything included—rooms, bathrooms, pools, grounds, parking, utilities. No per-person charges. No meeting room rentals. No breakfast upcharges. One flat rate for everything.
Compare that to hotels: €6,000-€8,000 for rooms, plus €600-€1,000 for breakfast, plus €500-€1,000 per day for meeting rooms. You're already past €8,000 without the privacy, without the grounds, without the experience quality that comes with exclusive use.
Compare it to Airbnb: Multiple properties, shared bathrooms, coordination nightmares, unpredictable quality. Even if you find properties that total less than €5,000, you're not getting the experience quality, privacy, or convenience that comes with an entire manor.
What You're Actually Paying For
When you book a manor rental, you're not just buying beds. You're buying:
- Exclusive use: The entire property is yours. No sharing anything with strangers.
- Privacy: Your group has complete privacy for sensitive conversations, relaxed interactions, or just being yourselves.
- Space: Common areas large enough for all 40 people to gather. Grounds to explore. Rooms that actually fit people comfortably.
- Private bathrooms: Every room has its own bathroom. No queues. No scheduling conflicts. No sharing facilities.
- Flexibility: Meals happen on your schedule. Activities happen when you want. No hotel timetables or Airbnb host constraints.
- Character: Historic architecture, natural setting, atmosphere that creates memorable experiences instead of generic accommodation.
With hotels, you're paying per room, per night, plus extras. With Airbnb, you're paying per property, dealing with unpredictable quality, and managing logistics across multiple locations. With manor rentals, you're paying one flat rate for an entire property experience.
The Logistics Reality
Here's where manor rentals really win: logistics are simpler when your entire group is in one building. Meeting spaces are steps away from bedrooms. Nobody's dealing with hotel elevators, confusing corridors, or figuring out which floor has the coffee. The flow just works.
With hotels, you're coordinating across multiple floors. Elevators are crowded. Corridors are busy. Finding your group becomes a challenge. With Airbnb, you're coordinating across multiple properties. Parking becomes complicated. People end up at the wrong location. Logistics become a constant management task.
With manors, everyone's in one building. One address. One parking area. One gathering space. Logistics simplify, which means you can focus on what you're actually there to do instead of managing where everyone is.
Which One Actually Works
For corporate retreats, manors work better because they facilitate actual connection. Hotels separate people. Airbnb fragments groups. Manors bring everyone together in shared spaces that actually encourage interaction.
For family reunions, manors work better because they provide space for all ages. Kids can play freely without worrying about other guests. Adults can gather without hotel noise concerns. Elderly relatives have quiet spaces to rest without isolation.
For special celebrations, manors work better because they create memorable experiences. Hotels feel transactional. Airbnb feels unpredictable. Manors feel special—historic character, natural setting, atmosphere that makes gatherings memorable instead of routine.
The Cost Breakdown That Matters
Let's be specific about weekend costs for 40 people:
Hotel: €6,000-€8,000 for rooms + €600-€1,000 for breakfast + €500-€1,000 for meeting rooms = €7,100-€10,000 total. And you're still scattered across multiple floors, sharing public spaces, dealing with hotel logistics.
Airbnb: €2,000-€4,000 for multiple properties (if you can find them). But you're dealing with shared bathrooms, coordination across locations, unpredictable quality, and logistics nightmares.
Manor Rental: €5,000 for entire property. Everything included. Exclusive use. Private bathrooms everywhere. Pools, sauna, grounds, all amenities. One flat rate, one location, complete control.
The manor isn't always the cheapest option, but it's usually the best value when you factor in what you're actually getting: exclusive use, privacy, space, character, and an experience quality that hotels and Airbnb can't match.
The Bottom Line
Hotels work if you need predictable beds and meeting rooms for people who already know each other. But for groups of 40 trying to connect, work together, or celebrate, hotels create fragmentation that works against your goals.
Airbnb works if you're traveling solo or with a small group. But for 40 people, the logistics, unpredictability, and space constraints usually make it more trouble than it's worth.
Manor rentals work because they're designed for gathering. The spaces facilitate connection. The privacy enables honest conversation. The character creates memorable experiences. And for groups of 30-40, the price often beats hotels when you factor in what's included.
If you're organizing accommodation for 40 people in Belgium and comparing options, don't just look at the bottom line number. Factor in what you're actually getting—exclusive use, privacy, space, bathrooms, amenities, and an experience quality that supports what you're trying to accomplish.
For most groups, manor rentals provide the best balance of cost, space, privacy, and experience. Hotels fragment groups. Airbnb creates logistics nightmares. Manors bring everyone together in spaces that actually work for large gatherings.
For detailed pricing comparisons, see our guide to manor rental costs for 40 people. If you're organizing accommodation for 30-40 guests in Belgium, check availability for exclusive-use properties that combine proper capacity, private bathrooms, and adequate common spaces.