But it doesn’t have to be this way. Corporate gatherings, whether management meetings, strategy off-sites, or team-building retreats, have the potential to be genuinely memorable, energizing, and even transformative. And few places prove that point quite as convincingly as Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras.
Picture this: your team starts the morning with a high-altitude hike led by a certified mountain guide, spends the afternoon competing on a padel court with panoramic views over Štrbské pleso, and winds down the evening with traditional Tatra cuisine in the hotel’s elegant event spaces, glasses raised against the backdrop of Slovakia’s most iconic mountain skyline. These are the kinds of corporate events people actually talk about, not just the following Monday, but for years to come.
Padel is the new golf
Padel is replacing golf as the most popular sport for professional networking. Faster to learn, more inclusive, and more energetic, it has become the sport of choice for executives and creative teams alike. At High Tatras Padel Club, situated directly on the shore of Štrbské pleso, one of the most photographed alpine lakes in Central Europe, the court offers views across the glassy water and up toward the peaks of the High Tatras. It is, in a word, spectacular.
For guests who have never picked up a padel racket before, there’s no barrier to entry. Rackets are available to borrow at reception, and the hotel’s team can arrange everything from casual group matches to a full company tournament. Private coaching sessions with a professional trainer can also be organized for those who prefer to arrive on court with at least a fighting chance.
A hike that tells a story
For those who prefer their team-building with a side of altitude and fresh mountain air, a guided hike with a certified mountain guide offers something no conference hall ever could: perspective. And not just the philosophical kind, though there’s plenty of that too when you’re standing a thousand meters above your inbox.
These hikes are led by expert local guides whose knowledge of the High Tatras runs deep, covering not just the trails themselves, but the rich and often surprising history of the region. Along the way, guides share stories about the area’s unique flora and fauna and the ongoing work of nature conservation in this protected national park landscape. They reveal fascinating facts about High Tatras, about real dangers of avalanches, mountaineering’s history and the remarkable tradition of the Tatra mountain porters, called in Slovak „nosiči“, those who still carry extraordinary loads up these very slopes to supply the mountain huts.
Back at the hotel
After a morning on the mountain hike or on the padel court, the return to Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras is its own kind of reward. The hotel’s restaurant, led by Chef Miroslav Zamiška and his team, offers a curated journey through traditional Tatra culinary heritage, dishes rooted in regional ingredients and generations of mountain cooking tradition, elevated with the kind of technical finesse you’d expect from a five-star kitchen. It is comfort food in the most sophisticated sense of the phrase.
The hotel’s spa adds another dimension entirely. With views that are unbeatable it offers the ideal space for decompression, relax, and the particular kind of quiet satisfaction that follows a day well spent. The evening can then continue at the Lobby Bar, with its well-stocked bar trolley, extensive cigar selection in the Smoker’s Lounge, and live music completing the atmosphere.
Ballrooms that set the scene
For the formal part of your corporate program, Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras offers two elegant event halls overlooking the breathtaking High Tatras panorama. Timeless and atmospheric, they provide a refined setting for everything from executive meetings to larger conferences, combining sophistication, serenity, and a sense of occasion that is hard to replicate elsewhere.
Corporate events at their best don’t just tick boxes. They create shared memories, deepen professional relationships, and send people home feeling genuinely energized. In the High Tatras, with mountains on one side and the still waters of Štrbské pleso on the other, the conditions for exactly that kind of experience are already in place. All you need to do is show up.
Follow us