‘You could have an amazing time for £30,000’: UK castles cash in on Traitors-style events

From stag and hen dos to luxury weekends, fans are spending big to create their own version of the hit show

On Thursday night, the singer-songwriter James Blunt, Love Island host Maya Jama and mathematician Hannah Fry were among the 21 Celebrity Traitors returning to UK screens for another round of deceit and detective work. Famously, contestants do not stay at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands during filming, and the venue is not a hotel, so fans cannot book their own overnight stays without hiring the entire Ross-shire estate. But that has not stopped people from trying to recreate their own versions.

The show’s surging popularity has been accompanied by a bonanza in Traitors-style events across the UK. From stag and hen dos to castle conspiracy weekends, event companies now host year-round imitations for fans looking to recreate the drama of the candle-lit roundtable. The show is also proving to be a boom for the owners of Britain’s crumbling castles – with wealthy fans even hiring them out for their own private events.

“We see a huge spike in people searching for Traitors-style experiences on our pages every time it comes back on TV,” said Roger Masterson, founder of Celtic Castles, which specialises in castle stays and rentals. “We’ve got castle hotels that put together Traitors packages. A 15-bedroom castle might sleep 30, so they’ll bring in couples and organise the faithfuls and traitors over the weekend. They build a story around it and play the game. There are huge varieties with how it’s done.”

Companies organising team bonding exercises are by far the most common customers. GOTO Events, which runs tailored Traitors-style experiences, offers packages from five people to 1,000, complete with their own version of the missions that contestants play to build up the prize pot and a Claudia Winkleman-style host. Danni Warren, GOTO’s head of marketing, said these had become the most popular experience they offer.

“Ever since the show launched, it’s just not died down. We keep thinking things will slow down and they haven’t,” she said.

“Everyone pretty much takes it as a bit of fun because you know that someone is lying. In one of my first events, the big boss was one of the betrayers and got called out in the first round. It was funny. Everyone loves calling out their boss.”

But a Traitors-style experience often does not come cheap. Daylong events are a few hundred pounds, while those looking for the full castle experience pay much more. Rothes Glen castle in the Scottish Highlands is offering a three-night package from £4,388 a room for two guests for a castle conspiracy weekend in August next year. A private event will set you back even more: hiring a luxury castle for the weekend can set you back tens of thousands of pounds – and that’s before the cost of organising the game, says Masterson.

“If you were looking at an exclusive-use property, let’s say for 30 people, they might charge £10,000 a night on a bed and breakfast basis. So, a two night stay would be 20 – then add another 10 for the event. You could have an amazing time for £30,000 for the whole weekend,” he says.

The boom is also helping fund repairs to Britain’s crumbling castles, he says. “I’ve been with owners and I ask them why they’re moving into the hospitality market. And they say: ‘Well, we need £100,000 to replace the roof’.”

Since the first episode on Thursday, Traitors mania is set to take over the country once again, running until Friday 30 October. Celebrities will compete for up to £100,000 for their chosen charities.

“We are expecting another surge [with the new series]. We are ready to go,” said Warren.