Plex's Company Trip in Honduras Turns Nightmarish As Staff Endure Fleas, Food Poisoning, and Brutal Survival Drills

A corporate retreat in Honduras took a harrowing turn for 120 employees of the tech company Plex in early April 2026, according to staff accounts shared by the Wall Street Journal.

Organised as a weeklong bonding experience on tropical beaches, the trip was intended to blend light-hearted team-building with a 'Survivor'-style theme. Instead, staff endured E. coli infections, military-style drills, sand fleas, and even a porcupine that fell into a hotel shower, prompting medical interventions.

Plex executives, including CEO Keith Valory, brought their fully remote workforce to Honduras for what was meant to be a lavish getaway costing around £375,000 ($500,000). For starters, the company planned 'Survivor'-inspired team challenges and island excursions, with the CEO taking on a role reminiscent of the television host Jeff Probst.

But the retreat quickly descended into chaos as unforeseen setbacks came up.

Early Signs of Trouble on the Company Trip in Honduras

Staff reported that trouble began almost immediately. Valory, who had arrived a day early to prepare the resort, contracted a severe stomach infection, later identified as E. coli, after attempting to eat a salad. 'Just as people were arriving on the buses I was like, 'Uh oh,' he said.

Medical staff installed an IV to manage his condition, even as incoming employees began their arrival festivities.

Scott Olechowski, Plex's chief product officer and co-founder, recalled the surreal first impressions of the resort: dirt roads leading to the property, guard towers, and armed personnel. Staff were taken aback by the military-style security and the unexpected rigours that awaited them.

According to Sean Hoff, founder of the retreat agency Moniker Partners, weeks before the trip, the hotel's management sent warning emails about staff departures, including the general manager and head chef, foreshadowing organisational disarray.

Survival Challenges and Unexpected Hazards

The retreat's core activities were designed around a 'Survivor' motif, with team competitions involving eating unusual foods such as scorpions and tarantulas. Employees described the experience as both physically taxing and comically grim. Shawn Eldridge, head of business development and content, said, 'I bailed out partway through. I went into the ocean just to cool off.'

A former Navy SEAL led exercises that included crawling on beaches in high heat, which left staff exposed to fire ants. Greta Schlender, senior product manager, recounted, 'I landed on a fire ant hill. I'm just like, 'Oh, my God, what is happening?' I had hives and bumps from the bites.' In some cases, medical staff administered antihistamines via injection to manage allergic reactions on the spot.

The retreat's natural setting added further unpredictability.

Rick Phillips, senior software engineer, discovered a porcupine in his shower, which had apparently fallen from a tree. Sand fleas were a daily nuisance, prompting repeated fumigation. Flights back from the island of Utila were delayed, stranding staff overnight and requiring improvised medical care for ongoing reactions to bites.

Good for Bonding?

Despite the series of mishaps, staff emphasised the bonding effects of the retreat. Scott Olechowski said, 'There are probably hundreds of little inside jokes that came from that retreat.' Matching tank tops, reggae music, and late-night beach gatherings provided moments of levity amid adversity.

Valory reflected on the unintended outcomes, noting that such extreme circumstances created 'really close bonds' among colleagues.

Hoff described the retreat in one word: 'calamity.' Yet employees also described it as 'one of the most fun trips ever.'