Come with me to a zRetreat
This article was originally written by Ellen M.
Come with me to a zRetreat! But first, what exactly is a zRetreat?
It is one of the most intentional parts of how we work in Cloud HQ, Zillow’s distributed work model. They’re purposefully structured moments designed to help teams align on priorities, strengthen relationships and accelerate the work that matters most. They give distributed teams the chance to come together in person when it adds real value: to spark ideas, deepen trust and feel reignited once everyone returns home.
An inside look at a Zillow zRetreat
To give you a sense of how it all comes together, here’s what a full day at my zRetreat looked like when we came together.
8 a.m. — Arrival at the Seattle office
I arrived at the Seattle office which is always a fun trip because I do not live in Seattle, I actually live in Philadelphia, so I get to not only escape my home office for a few days, but my city as well.
8:15 a.m. — Coffee welcome
Once in the office I grab arguably the most important part of office work, coffee. We also had a catered breakfast, and I am one to never say no to free food. Then my coworkers filtered in for the zRetreat and we got to exchange excited welcomes and greetings, since I normally only see them on Zoom and Slack, before the day officially started.
9 a.m. — The zRetreat officially starts!
I connect with my team, my absolute favorite people to work with, as we gather in the main room and find seats right before it starts.
9:05 a.m. — Retreat kickoff with Donald
Donald kicks off the retreat with some energizing opening words along with the day’s schedule, an overview of our goals, the sessions and who would be presenting.
10 a.m. — Brand session with Meg
Meg from Brand shared updates on what her team has been building and where we’re headed. We do some fun brand exercises, break down what brands stand out to us and why we like them, then talk about how that applies when promoting Zillow.
11:15 a.m. — Team breakout
My team has a break off session in our own meeting room to brainstorm ideas for 2026. These small group sessions helped us spark ideas and align on opportunities in ways we don’t normally get to do when working from home.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch
Lunch was excellent, it was a Mediterranean buffet with pita bread, hummus, rice and chicken, so obviously I stuffed my face and then immediately regretted it because I could not take a post lunch nap. But more coffee can always fix that.
1:30 p.m. — Data Team session
We had the option to join smaller breakout sessions with orgs we don’t traditionally work with day to day, so I joined our data team’s session. They walked us through how they use data to solve problems, uncover insights and piece together stories about how we can improve. It grounded us in data transparency, which is a core part of why Zillow was created and something we strive to carry forward for both customers and employees.
2:45 p.m. — Chocolate fountain break
The magic of working in-office is that sometimes you happen upon a chocolate fountain sitting in the middle of the room. Who can stay full from lunch when there’s fruit and pretzels to dip in warm melted chocolate? Truly the best 3 p.m. pick-me-up.
3:15 p.m. — Final connect of the day
We regrouped with everyone to discuss takeaways and talk about how to apply what we learned through the day and talk about what to expect for the team activity and dinner for that night.
4:30 p.m. — Patio views and a moment of calm
Before leaving, my team and I made a small pit stop on the 15th floor to take in the views of the Puget Sound from the viewing deck. The city skyline, the water and Mount Rainier all showed up in full glory.
5 p.m. — Back to the hotel
Now I’m headed back to the hotel to recharge and get ready for the team dinner and night at the arcade.
Thanks for following along!
Want to attend your own zRetreat? Learn more about how you can move forward in your career with Zillow.