Adding to that, it is more flexible compared to a hotel on who and how many people can come. At the startups I worked at, these meetups where usually a weekend

Adding to that, it is more flexible compared to a hotel on who and how many people can come. At the startups I worked at, these meetups where usually a weekend of drinking/barbecuing at a lake-house close to the city we are based in, which means people can stay over night, but don't have to, and few things have to be rigorously planned.