Calling it “a new chapter” in its storied history as a pioneer of the beach and mountain all-inclusive resort concepts, Club Med has unveiled a new refreshed and modernized brand identity.

Taking inspiration from the original Club Med philosophy – “creating simple moments of happiness” – the popular lifestyle brand says it is evolving into a more premium, family-friendly, and eco-conscious experience.

And with a “strong ambition” to be the industry’s “most desirable lifestyle vacation brand,” the company has also detailed a platform of ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Elevated brand identity

In 1950, Gérard Blitz founded the first Club Med resort in the Balearic Islands of Spain; today, Club Med says it is taking elements from that original foundation, its French heritage, and its core essence – simplicity, epicureanism, nature and freedom – and using them to revive its personality into a premium all-inclusive brand that marries a “luxury experience with simple moments.”

The new brand identity is present a unique differentiation in the market and speaks to its history of offering ultimate disconnection with a new campaign coined “That’s L’Esprit Libre” – a slogan, the company says, “renews and reaffirms the optimistic embrace of life that Club Med is famed for: the art of living a happy life.”

“When the complexities of everyday life are removed so one can focus on special moments, like having ice cream for breakfast and putting on ski boots, or if your family vacation actually feels like a vacation – ‘That’s L’Esprit Libre,’” says Kevin Armstrong, Sr. Director of Brand & Communications for Club Med North America and the Caribbean.

“Our new brand positioning takes inspiration from our long-standing 73-year history and iconic advertising campaigns, reinforcing our pioneering essence as well as our forthcoming journey with simplicity, modernized luxury, and playfulness,” he adds.

Club Med operates nearly 70 all-inclusive beach and mountain resorts worldwide and sees between three to five new resort openings or renovations per year that appeal to both luxury travel and family-friendly experiences.

The brand’s expansion has also continued to evolve into becoming more upscale with the recent launch of its Exclusive Collection portfolio, a collection of five-star resorts, villas, chalets, spaces, and a yacht around the world that include elements taking luxury to the next level, from artfully crafted single plated dishes to larger high-design multi-bedroom suites.

Looking ahead, Club Med says it will prioritize expansion of the portfolio by opening more Exclusive Collection properties and including Exclusive Collection spaces within its four-star resorts.

As part of this brand evolution, Club Med is enhancing all consumer communication touchpoints with refreshed logos, iconography, and colour palette from its website and emails to the ‘My Club Med’ app and in-resort signage in order to reflect its new identity both in the resorts and outside.

Sustainable tourism

In addition to its brand evolution, Club Med has also put significant focus on accelerating its ongoing sustainability efforts dedicated to responsible tourism like the elimination of single-use plastics, energy management, and cultural preservation. As part of the ‘Happy to Care’ program, some of the commitments for 2023-2024 include:

• Prioritization of local sourcing like Club Med Québec, which sources 80% of its food products from Canada, and Club Med Cancun, which sources 65% from Mexico.

• Combatting food waste through the development of food waste programs, like a partnership with Solucycle at Club Med Québec, which converts organic waste into renewable energy sources.

• Creating the Club Med RecycleWear collection, a staff uniform as well as boutique products made from recycled plastic, which has recycled over 2 million plastic water bottles since its deployment in 2019.

• All North American, Caribbean, and Mexican resorts have eliminated all single-use plastic products, saving more than 60,000 plastic bottles each year in Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda alone.

• Green Globe re-certification for Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda, Club Med Punta Cana (reaching gold status with 5 consecutive years of certification), Club Med Turkoise, Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Club Med Cancún, Club Med Québec with a new certification planned for Club Med Columbus this year; and,

• Turtle monitoring and protection program in Club Med Ixtapa, which has saved more than 13,000 baby turtles in the past year.

Club Med operates in more than 32 countries and employs more than 23,000 employees from more than 110 different nationalities.