Guest Participation Guidelines

Last Updated: September 2026

At The Classical Club, we're all about making sure you have a fun, safe, and unforgettable retreat with us. To keep everything running smoothly, we've put together some guidelines for all our guests. These help us decide when we might need to refuse or cancel a booking, action our Retreat Help Process, or possibly even ask someone to leave a retreat.

It's important to know that any guest asked to leave a retreat, or who has their booking terminated at any point by The Classical Club in alignment with these guidelines, will not be subject to any refunds as per our Terms & Conditions.

Here's what you need to know…

1. Respectful Behaviour

We're big on kindness and respect here. If anyone is rude, aggressive, or abusive towards our team, other guests, our Chess Host, our Grandmaster, our Experience Host, or the public, we might have to cancel or refuse a booking or ask them to leave a retreat. This includes:

• Bullying, offensive language, threats, or any kind of discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour.
• Constantly making unreasonable demands or complaints.
• Disruptive behaviour or causing communication problems.

If someone's behaviour makes it hard for us to provide great service or creates a hostile environment, we may have to step in. We're always here to listen to your concerns and expect everyone to treat each other with respect.

2. Safety First

Your safety and enjoyment are our top priorities. If a guest's behaviour puts anyone at risk, we may need to take action, or even ask someone to leave a retreat. This includes:

• Ignoring safety instructions from our team.
• Having a history of reckless or rude behaviour.
• Unmanaged mental health issues that could pose risks.
• Not following local laws or regulations (illegal activities).
• Not following transportation and accommodation rules.

Any dangerous or illegal activities will result in immediate removal from the retreat and possibly being reported to authorities.

3. Following Our Terms

To join our retreats, guests must agree to our Terms and Conditions. If someone refuses to follow these terms or has a history of not complying, we might need to refuse or cancel a booking. During a retreat, they may be asked to leave. This includes:

• Not signing required liability waivers.
• Providing false information during the booking process.
• Using suspicious or fraudulent payment methods.
• Not meeting payment deadlines or providing necessary documents.
• Failing to have a valid passport, visas, or necessary permits.
• Not sharing essential safety and retreat coordination information with us (e.g. passport copy, flight itinerary, emergency contact details, and certificate of travel insurance).

4. Health and Fitness

The Classical Club retreats are set at an unhurried pace: games, coaching, and long-table meals inside a historic chateau, with optional walks or local visits in between. Guests should be comfortable spending extended periods seated at the board, and moving around a large historic property, which may include stairs and uneven or aged flooring. If a guest doesn't meet these requirements, we will unfortunately need to refuse or cancel their booking. During a retreat, they may be asked to leave. This includes:

• Not meeting minimum fitness or mobility standards for a retreat.
• Not disclosing health, mobility, or fitness issues that affect participation or the pace of the group.
• Not having necessary vaccinations for entry into a country, where applicable.

5. Matching Expectations

We want to make sure our Classical Club values, and retreats, match your expectations. If a guest's expectations don't align with what we offer, we might have to refuse or cancel their booking. This includes:

• Unrealistic demands that can't be met (for our service, or the scope of a retreat).
• Having a solo traveller mindset or attitude for a group retreat.
• Not being willing to engage with a group of varying personalities, temperaments, and skill levels.
• Not accepting the inherent risks of travel.
• Wanting to customise the itinerary in ways that are not possible.
• Not accepting the flexibility of an itinerary that comes with the nature of small-group retreats.
• Not attending pre-retreat calls or responding to our communications.
• Making demands that are outside our team's roles or capacities.

6. Aligning with Our Values

We aim to create a positive and inclusive environment. If a guest's behaviour goes against our values, we may sadly need to refuse a booking, or take action during a retreat. This includes:

• Disrespecting the environment, local cultures, our Chess Host, our Grandmaster, our Experience Host, or other guests.
• Not dressing or behaving appropriately according to local customs, including at religious and heritage sites.
• Harassing, discriminating, or being aggressive towards others.
• Engaging in illegal or unethical activities.
• Not embracing our group retreat values during previous or current retreats: being supportive of others, kind and respectful communication, open-minded and up for experiencing the new or different, flexible, embracing the differences of fellow guests, being positive and letting things slide.
• Repeated or serious breaches of the above during a retreat.

7. Respecting Our Chess Host, Grandmaster, and Experience Host

Our Chess Host and Grandmaster are here to make sure you get the most out of every game and coaching session, and our Experience Host is here to keep you safe and make sure everything about your stay runs smoothly. If a guest refuses to respect their decisions or authority, it could result in us refusing future bookings, or asking them to leave a retreat. This includes:

• Not being flexible with itinerary changes.
• Not following our Communicable Diseases Policy.
• Refusing to communicate respectfully with our Chess Host, Grandmaster, Experience Host or any member of our on-site team.
• Not informing your Chess Host if you decide to skip a coaching session or chess activity, or your Experience Host if you decide to skip a meal or non-chess activity.
• Using rude or disrespectful language towards our Chess Host, our Grandmaster, or any member of our on-site team.
• Refusing to participate in our Retreat Help Process.

Our goal is to make sure everyone has an amazing retreat while keeping things safe and fun.

Thanks for taking the time to read these guidelines!

If you have any concerns or see any issues while on a retreat, please refer to our Retreat Help Process.