Why Colstoun is the Best Place in Scotland for Your Next Corporate Day

We are not a hotel. We are not a conference centre. We are a family home just over half an hour from Edinburgh. And over the past 15 years, that’s turned out to be exactly what a lot of corporate clients were looking for, even if they didn’t quite know it when they first got in touch.

Colstoun has been the ancestral home of the Broun family for nearly a thousand years. In 2010, we opened our doors to the public for the first time. Since then we’ve hosted board meetings, strategy retreats, product launches, whisky tastings, Highland Games, team away days and everything in between. We do things a bit differently here, and we’ve found that for the right kind of company, that makes all the difference.

It’s Entirely Yours

This is probably the thing that matters most to the corporate clients we work with. Colstoun operates an exclusive use policy, full stop. From the moment you arrive at the gates to the moment you leave, you are the only guests on site. No other groups wandering around, no shared spaces, no chance of bumping into a competitor in the corridor.

One of our favourite stories comes from a company that used us for a three-day strategy retreat. On their way out, the leader of the group came to find us and explained that at their previous strategy meeting — held in a large Edinburgh hotel — they’d been placed in a meeting room right next to one of their direct competitors. Here, that is simply never going to happen.

We’ve become particularly well known in the whisky industry for exactly this reason. When confidentiality matters, Colstoun delivers.

100 acres of Parkland and a Walled Garden

We are set in the middle of 100 acres of parkland in the East Lothian countryside, with ancient woodland, Victorian landscape and a beautiful walled garden on the doorstep. When your team finishes a session, they can actually go outside and breathe. Walk through the grounds, sit in the garden, clear their heads.

We’ve noticed over the years that something happens to people when you take them out of a city and put them somewhere like this. Conversations get easier. Ideas come quicker. People who’ve worked together for years suddenly find themselves actually talking. It sounds a bit fluffy when you write it down, but we’ve seen it happen enough times to know it’s real.

We have meeting rooms for up to 12 and up to 150 people, as well as the option of something a bit less formal — in living rooms on the comfy sofas works brilliantly for groups of up to 10 who don’t want the formality of sitting at a table. The Coach House can cater for larger gatherings of up to 150 people, so there’s a lot of flexibility depending on what you need.

Team Building That People Actually Enjoy

We know that “team building” can be two of the most dreaded words in the corporate calendar. We get it. But we genuinely think the activities we put together at Colstoun are different, partly because we tailor everything around the specific group and partly because the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting.

Highland Games on the parkland is always a hit — the kind of afternoon that produces the stories people are still telling at the Christmas party three years later. Whisky tastings are another favourite, especially for international clients who want to combine the business of the day with a genuinely Scottish experience. We can also arrange activities focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility, including tree planting and understanding how the estate is managed.

And if you’re looking to make a full day of it, we’re right next door to Glenkinchie Distillery and within easy reach of more than 22 golf courses. Not bad for a day out of the office.

Getting Here is Easier Than You’d Think

We are 45 minutes from Edinburgh Waverley and 45 minutes from Edinburgh Airport. You are in the heart of the East Lothian countryside, but you haven’t had to take a flight to get there. For teams coming from London or internationally, it’s a genuinely easy journey. Some of our best corporate events have been the ones that spill over into the evening, where people relax over dinner and the conversations that didn’t quite get finished in the meeting room carry on through dinner.

We Do Things in Our Own Time

Something worth knowing about Colstoun: we don’t do 150 corporate events a year. We never will. That’s a choice, not a limitation. Every event here gets proper attention, from the initial conversation about what you’re trying to achieve to the moment you leave. You’ll get to know the family. Things will feel personal. That’s the whole point.

Our motto has always been “Our House, Your Home” and that applies as much to corporate clients as it does to wedding guests. Whether you’re the CEO of a global company or an HR manager planning your first proper away day, the welcome is the same. We want you to feel relaxed, looked after and glad you came.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering — yes, we have the same internet speeds as central London, courtesy of our satellite suppliers Lothian Broadband. You won’t need to worry about the connection dropping in the middle of a video call. We’ve thought of that too.

Get in Touch

If you’re thinking about a corporate day at Colstoun, the best first step is always a conversation. Drop us an email at info@colstoun.co.uk or give us a call on 01620 822 922 and we can talk through what you have in mind. If you’d like to come and have a look around in person, we’re always happy to arrange a relaxed tour of the house and grounds.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Colstoun House · Haddington · East Lothian · EH41 4PA · colstoun.co.uk