Blending Business and Pleasure on a Bespoke Retreat to London

When Brendan Keegan, CEO of Merchants Fleet, sought to host his leadership team in London in December for their annual strategic summit, he turned to Inspirato’s Bespoke team of custom travel planners. A member since 2018, Brendan wanted to treat his hardworking team to a well-deserved retreat in Inspirato fashion.

The team’s home base for the first half of the trip would be Beaverbrook, an idyllic respite nestled within the rolling hills of Surrey and a short drive from McLaren Technology Centre, where business matters would take place. Throughout the trip, Brendan worked with the Bespoke team to pair those necessary meetings with adventurous team-building exercises.


“My leadership team has not stopped texting me about how incredible every detail was and the memories that were created to last forever,” Brendan said.

After an overnight flight from Boston to London, the team was chauffeured to the countryside retreat, where they hit the ground running with meetings and dinner with McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris.


(Photos courtesy of Brendan Keegan)

The next morning, the team got their hearts pumping early with a fencing class on the grounds of Beaverbrook.

As a fearless leader, I really try to push my team outside their comfort zones, and Inspirato certainly helped me accomplish this!
Inspirato member Brendan Keegan

After enjoying a full English breakfast, the team headed back to the technology center for another day of business meetings and a very special team-building exercise: competing in a pit crew challenge.

“Imagine a real McLaren F1 car and three team members working each wheel—the team actually completed a full pit-stop in 5.03 seconds!” Brendan said.


In the afternoon, it was off to London for the second half of the summit, where the team checked in at the spectacular Corinthia Hotel. Once settled in, they enjoyed an exclusive private dinner at luxe, art deco-inspired Bob Bob.

The next morning, the team challenged themselves with four-time Olympian skier Chemmy Alcott, who led them through an onsite body-weight class. After breakfast, they embarked on a Thames River charter to a private viewing of the Crown Jewels. It was “beyond spectacular,” Brendan said.


(Photos courtesy of Brendan Keegan)

They then enjoyed a private tour of the Down Street tunnel, where Winston Churchill secretly took refuge during the Blitz attacks of World War II— “you know it’s special when even your 13-year veteran tour guide is excited,” Brendan said. Afterward, the team enjoyed lunch at Bombay Bustle and shopping on the upscale Bond Street, before drinks in the opulent Grays & Feather’s Cave Room and a private dinner in the Terrace Room with a cozy outdoor fire at Luca. After a nightcap in Corinthia’s beautiful bar, the team retreated to their rooms for one last sleep before returning home.

On the team’s last day, they zipped around the city in four iconically British Mini-Coopers, stopping for a little “team graffiti,” shopping, and eating at a bazaar.


“We even had the chance to see King Charles and his motorcade during the changing of the guard,” he mentioned.

And on the last night of the summit, Brendan was sure to round out the trip in spectacular fashion after Merchants Fleet’s successful year.


“The last gift each leadership team member received at dinner on our final evening was an Inspirato Select trip of their choosing,” he said. “I’ve already converted one of them to be a member.”

Inspirato is honored to play a part in helping its members create lifelong memories, and its Bespoke team can create an incredible and totally custom trip, anywhere in the world. Find out more here.