I clicked on the attachment but got an "invalid" message. It might be better to just cut and paste the address of the advertisement.

Edit: p.s. Is there a quilt guild in your area? The quilt guild near where I live sponsors a quilt retreat every year. The last time I looked at their retreat I didn't sign up because they offered only double rooms.

I can still manage stairs - just more slowly now - but I would like my own sleeping quarters - I have been told that I sometimes snore - very loudly - and not even my spouse is "good" with that at times.

So good sound-proofing between the bedroom walls would be a good thing.

Also - an easily accessible public restroom on each floor - I don't want to have to go two blocks and three flights of stairs to answer nature's call!

Food is a concern - would it be provided as part of the package?

And if so - how would one manage it so there would be "enough" supplies on hand?

Would you have a refrigerator and microwave and sink available - in each room or in a "main" sewing room?

Would you have vending machines available?

I think eating and drinking should be kept away from sewing and fabric - would there be an alcove or something for munching?

How would you be able to maintain it? Are you able to afford someone to do that and the cleaning and cooking? Do you have someone that can/will do those mundane things?

Is it in fairly good condition now?

(Not trying to be a wet blanket here - even though it seems that way)

Back to the original question - I have not been on a retreat - but what I would hope would happen -

I would meet people that would become friends and we might have one or two group activities, and then the rest would be sewing or vegetating. And food.

Some place near by to go to if I needed some space would be good, too.

I've only attended retreats that were "work on your own project" types. The early retreats were organized by a large guild and had many participants. We each got a 6' long table to use for our sewing. These were fun and I met people that I still keep in contact with. A small group and I have been going to a retreat twice yearly. It is in a house built specifically for quilting. I think the suggestions to research with LQS and guilds are excellent. You should decide what type of retreat you want to host. If you want to be heavily involved (having an instructor, classes, etc) or if you want it to have little involvement. Our retreat is low key. We do our own meals, which is very easy. It gives us a chance to get up and move around after sitting at our machines. Since the building was built with quilters in mind there are plenty of electrical outlets, lighting and space. There are two dorm type bedrooms and three bathrooms. This isn't the Ritz Carlton, but it meets our needs and the price is right. The calendar is open so you are able to choose when and how long you stay. We stay for three nights for right around $100/person. There is a quilt store about 25 minutes away, which we are able to visit if we need/want to. If I were in your position I would do a lot of research online of retreats in your state and see what's out there so you'll know about the market. My friend and I have talked about doing this, but we are too busy right now to go any further with it. My personal preference is the retreat where you work on projects of your choice. Hope this is helpful and not too rambling. Good luck with your decision.

I also recommend a covered outdoor work area, if you have the space. I love to sit out on the porch and watch the rain while I knit or hand-sew items.

From retreat experience: All on one level . . . Plenty of room between tables . . . Comfy beds . . .theme ie: bears, woodsy, ducks, etc. . . Delicious meals . . . Plenty of bathrooms . . . Location, location, location . . . Several ironing and cutting stations . . .
If the guests are coming from the city they will want peace and quiet.
Retreats are fun usually but we've been where the employees said they almost had knockdown fights between some of the campers.
Retreats are a HUGE amount of work.
Not to be negative, just double or triple the amount of work you will think it will take. Plus don't forget about insurance, zoning, taxes, etc etc.

I think the best quilt retreats are those where you can just sew, either your own project or a class. The one thing I don't want to worry about is cooking and cleaning. If you are going to prepare meals on site, you would want to check with your local health department. My sister had a place, in an old house, where she was just serving tea, cakes and cookies and she had to install restaurant quality kitchen fixtures. Might be different if you don't prepare the food there, but have it catered. Anyway, check with your local health department, zoning department (is it zoned for commercial use?) and see if there are any other permits you need. Fire regulations may also apply. Insurance will also need to be checked. She also had 4 parking places, one of which had to be handicapped. The house already had a ramp. Don't want to sound negative, but there's a lot of things you need to check first!

A Victorian house probably would not be my first choice for a quilting retreat unless it had an elevator. Many of us quilters do not enjoy hobbling up & down the stairs, especially on a vacation. As others have said, space to do handwork, plenty of outlets for at least 6 machines and 2-3 irons (and the amperage to support those outlets). A couple of bathrooms minimum & plenty of hot water (honestly! I'm quilting, not camping). Family-style dining or restaurants within 15 minutes drive. Nearby LQS for emergency supplies. And depending on the price, some sort of quilting personality/instructor. If it is a low-budget/grab-your-quilting-friends type of place where you just go to have a serene environment & place to quilt you won't need as many things as a draw, but you'd still need to make sure people had basic comforts and access to quilting supplies. (I'm blessed to be in a large guild where people offer their lake house for free & we just need to bring the food and our supplies; those are only 200amps so we get one iron and 3 machines & that's about all the load it can handle. It's not ideal in that sense, but other than us feeding the hostess and helping put the house back in order at the end of the long weekend, it's free so I wouldn't dare complain. It's a beautiful home in the woods on a lake that is nicely decorated & has a couple restaurants nearby and an LQS about 20 minutes away. It's one story with plenty of parking.

For a true quilting retreat that costs a few hundred dollars, I personally would want to know that a quilting instructor is coming who will be teaching some technique in which I'm interested. Of course then you would need even more outlets unless you're only catering to Jinny Beyer-types who do everything by hand.