The Stag Company

The Stag Company: stag weekend packages across the UK and abroad

The Stag Company is a British organiser of stag weekends that builds packages combining destinations, accommodation and activities for groups. The company states it began operating in 2004 and describes itself as the original stag do organiser, with more than half a million people sent away on pre-nuptial celebrations since then. Its catalogue covers more than 40 locations in the UK and abroad and, according to the company, over 300 activities.

The service is aimed at the person organising the trip for the groom-to-be. The company assigns each booking a dedicated event planner, who it says spends around nine hours on the booking from start to finish, and handles the details from accommodation and activity reservations to transport.

How the booking and payment model works

Groups reserve with a single deposit of £50, and each member then pays their own share in instalments through an online party hub. The organiser invites the participants and does not have to collect the money personally. The site also mentions a £1 deposit offer described as available for a limited time, and 0% interest monthly payments.

The company advertises a price match promise: if a like-for-like stag do is found for less, it states it will match the price. It is registered with ABTA, the UK travel association, and says it follows its code of conduct so that bookings are financially protected.

Destinations in the United Kingdom

The UK selection includes Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and York, alongside Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Chester, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Newquay, Oxford, Snowdonia and Southampton. The company presents these destinations as suitable for different tastes and budgets, from lively cities to countryside getaways.

Destinations abroad

International options listed include Albufeira, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Benidorm, Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Cologne, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Gdansk, Hamburg, Ibiza, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Magaluf, Munich, Prague, Riga and Tenerife. The company says its planners are trained on which destinations suit various budgets and what accommodation works best at different times of the year.

Activities on offer

The activity catalogue is broad and mixes adrenaline sports, social formats and evening entertainment. Examples listed on the site include:

• Driving and motor experiences: go-karting, quad biking, 4x4 off-road driving, tank driving, F1 simulator and race car track days.
• Shooting and combat-style activities: paintball, clay pigeon shooting, airsoft, archery and axe throwing.
• Water and outdoor pursuits: white water rafting, coasteering, kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing, wakeboarding and gorge walking.
• Group games and novelty formats: bubble football, footdarts, binocular football, human table football and stag Olympics.
• Food and drink: beer tasting, gin tasting, whisky tasting, wine tasting and tours, brewery tours, cocktail making and steak dinners.
• Evening and entertainment options: bar crawls, nightclub entry, cabaret, comedy shows and lap dance and strip club packages.

The company states it works with suppliers to keep the activity list current and that new options are added regularly, so the website does not list them all.

Accommodation and group suitability

The Stag Company says every accommodation it works with is confirmed as willing to accept large groups of stags, and that activities are researched before being offered. It presents its supplier relationships as long-standing, which it links to access to activities and venues that welcome stag groups.

Track record and recognition

Beyond the 2004 start date and the figure of over half a million participants, the company reports that more than 50,000 stags have chosen it and that it is rated Excellent on Feefo. It also displays a press mentions section on its site. These figures and ratings are the company's own presentation of its record.