All-inclusive pioneer Club Med is planning to open 17 new resorts by 2024, tapping into booming all-inclusive market for families and upscale travellers. Combined with enhanced destination-forward experiences, digital innovations, and new product novelties, the robust expansion plan also includes renovations or extensions of more than a dozen existing resorts.

Founded in 1950 by Gérard Blitz, Club Med currently operates approximately 70 premium resorts in locations around the world including North and South America, Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean with each resort premised on authentic local style and comfortably upscale accommodations, superior sports programming and activities, enriching children’s programs, gourmet dining, and friendly service.

“Since 1950, Club Med has continued to shape the all-inclusive industry by introducing new destinations and experiences to travellers worldwide,” says Carolyne Doyon, President & CEO of Club Med North America and the Caribbean.

“Throughout our 72-year history, we’ve successfully adapted our portfolio to appeal to upscale travellers and families, as well as demonstrated our leadership in the all-inclusive mountain experience. Maintaining our ambitious expansion plan, we are on track to open 17 new resorts, as well as complete 13 renovations or extensions of existing resorts, by 2024.”

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Club Med continued its expansion momentum in 2021 with four resort openings, including Club Med Seychelles (Africa), Club Med Lijiang (China), Club Med Québec (Canada), and Club Med La Rosière (French Alps). The brand also completed four renovations, including Club Med Albion (Mauritius), Club Med Peisey-Vallandry (French Alps), Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere (Italian Alps), and Club Med Marrakech (Morocco).

Club Med has also established its commitment to further expanding its all-inclusive mountain product to new markets with the forthcoming December 2024 opening of Club Med Utah. This property will be the brand’s first new resort in the US in more than 20 years, as well as its first-ever Exclusive Collection (5-Star) mountain resort in North America, which will be open year-round.

Club Med’s Exclusive Collection portfolio, which features 13 of the brand’s most luxurious resorts and spaces around the world, is characterized by premium accommodations, exclusively beautiful locations, and refined dining concepts. Of the 30 development projects in the works for Club Med over the next two years, several of them will feature new additions to the Exclusive Collection portfolio, well-suited for both families and couples.

Other Club Med openings, renovations, and upgrade highlights include:

EUROPE

• Club Med Magna Marbella, Spain (New, May 2022): Located 45 minutes from the Malaga International Airport in Andalusia the resort will have a focus on the cultural and natural richness of southern Spain, mixing tradition and modernity to offer an experience focused on wellness, nature, family experiences, and discovery of the destination. Guests will find unique features in the 485-room resort, such as a family fun zone, garden parties, 14 hectares of Andalusian gardens, a Club Med Spa by Cinq Mondes, and five different swimming areas.

• Club Med Tignes, French Alps (New, Dec. 2022): A historic destination that has been home to Club Med since 1958, Tignes Val Claret is a natural sports paradise located at an altitude of 2,150 m. The brand-new Club Med Tignes resort will be located in the centre of the liveliest part of town, making it a hotspot for winter sports and nightlife. The resort will feature 430 rooms, including 25 Exclusive Collection (5-star) suites, two restaurants, a full spa and wellness salt wall, the largest Club Med pool in the Alps, a full childcare program, and a ski domain suitable for every level.

• Club Med Val d’Isère, French Alps (New, Dec. 2022): Located in the Tarentaise Valley at an altitude of 1,850 m., this authentic village is home to an internationally recognized ski mecca. The resort is undergoing a complete transformation worthy of its soon-to-be Exclusive Collection designation. As such, it will be the brand’s first entirely 5-star mountain resort, with a total of 216 rooms available for booking in both winter and summer. As well as offering fabulous skiing, gourmet dining, childcare starting at age four, and a welcoming spa and yoga program, the resort will redefine luxury by combining intimacy, conviviality, and relaxation.

• Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere, Italian Alps (Extension, 2022): Nestled in the Piedmont region of Italy, Club Med’s Pragelato Sestriere resort consists of a hamlet of wooden chalets. The expansion plan will include 17 new chalets housing 105 new rooms. Construction will be completed following the architectural style of the region.

• Club Med Gregolimano, Greece (Renovation, 2023): One of the brand’s flagship summer resorts in the Mediterranean Basin, located on the Greek Island of Evia, will undergo both a renovation and extension including newly renovated beachfront bungalows.

• Club Med San Sicario, Italian Alps (New, Dec. 2024): A new addition to Club Med’s mountain portfolio in the Italian Alps, the bi-seasonal Club Med San Sicario, will feature 200 rooms located on a prime ski location from the 2006 Turin Olympics.

ASIA

• Club Med Hokkaido, Japan (New, 2023): Following the success of its two other mountain resorts in Japan, Club Med will open a third property on the northern island of Hokkaido. Known as one of Asia’s top travel destinations, Hokkaido offers a fun-filled family experience, perfectly powdered snow for skiing and trekking, natural landscapes, and local culinary delights.

• Club Med Phuket, Thailand (Renovation, 2023-24): Visitors travelling to Club Med Phuket, located on Kata Beach, can look forward to newly refreshed facilities and experiences aimed at recreating an authentic Thai atmosphere for everyone. Enhanced with an eco-chic, modern, and upscale twist, the refreshed resort spaces will include a redesign of the main restaurant, meetings & events centre, pool and sun deck, and more.

• Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu, Malayasia (New, 2024): Adding to its portfolio in Southeast Asia, Club Med will build a new resort on the Malaysian side of the island of Borneo. The destination is known for its beaches, biodiverse rainforest, Mount Kinabalu (Southeast Asia’s highest peak), famed dive site Sipadan Island, and native species such as orangutans and clouded leopards. This forthcoming resort embodies Club Med’s pioneering spirit, as it will bring a brand-new resort to a secluded destination.

Sustainable

Club Med’s Happy to Care program, founded in 2019, features a range of commitments based on sustainable tourism:

• Phased elimination of single-use plastics, including water bottles
• Industry-best eco-certifications
• Construction of new resorts in harmony with nature, with built-up surfaces covering less than 10% of the total site surface
• Reduction of energy consumption and introduction of green energy sources
• Responsible, local, and ethical sourcing of food products and materials
• Employee uniforms created out of recycled plastic bottles; since 2019, 2.3 million bottles have been recycled for this initiative in North America, with 1.2 million more expected to be recycled by 2023
• Sponsorship of rural farming development projects to increase the efficiency, quality, and demand for local farmers
• Promotion of animal welfare by prohibiting experiences involving captive cetaceans, large cats, and elephants
• Food waste and hazardous waste management
• Community outreach via the Club Med Foundation, founded in 1978
• Partnerships with organizations focused on environmental preservation
• Club Med’s North American resorts will see more ecological menu options featuring plant-based proteins and an increase in both local and organic products, including an objective to source 100% fair trade coffee by 2023 and 100% cage-free eggs by 2025.

Teens

As family travel evolves, Club Med is enhancing its existing teen programming (Club Med Passworld for teens ages 11–17). A new teen program will feature unique activities and social-forward events that give teens the opportunity to have exciting vacation moments and experiential content to share online. As part of this new programming, teens will also be able to take part in Club Med’s Happy To Care CSR mission. The pilot program is launching this spring in Club Med Punta Cana and Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda.

New experiences

Over the past year, numerous studies have shown that travellers are eager to get outdoors in destinations that offer plenty of room to roam, are prioritizing health and wellness, and are interested in vacation options that cater to the entire family. With this market research in mind, Club Med enhanced its existing resort experiences, including:

• Circus School by Club Med, an acrobatic playground with activities like flying trapeze, tightrope walking, and aerial silk in Club Med Punta Cana
• New and/or upgraded pickleball courts in all resorts in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Coast of Mexico
• Club Med Amazing Family Program, a fun-filled agenda of weekly activities designed to help families bond and reconnect, launched in all resorts across Florida, the Caribbean, and Mexico
• Club Med Spa by Sothys opened in three resorts including Club Med Sandpiper Bay, Club Med Québec, and Club Med Ixtapa Pacific
• Wing foil watersport activity in Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda
• All-day yoga programming in Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda and Club Med Québec, with planned expansion to other North American resorts
• The “sunset ritual”, a weekly lifestyle experience on the beach in Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda, with planned expansion to Club Med Cancun and Club Med Ixtapa Pacific
• New dining concepts in existing resorts: “Lucky Lime”, an all-day Mexican taqueria at Club Med Sandpiper Bay; “From Jungle to Table”, a sustainable dining concept at the Coco Plum Beach Lounge in Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda; “Altamar”, a premium seafood restaurant in Club Med Punta Cana; and, “Le Chalet”, a gourmet lounge in Club Med Québec featuring locally-sourced, family-style dinners “a la bonne franquette” – meaning cozy, friendly, and without any fuss.

Digital innovations

Club Med continues to enhance its digital, touch-free offerings. In 2021, Club Med’s Easy Arrival contactless check-in/check-out service, which prepares guests to get vacation-ready before vacation begins, was deployed in all Club Med resorts in Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Through the app, guests can sign their children up for childcare services or book ski equipment before they arrive to their respective Club Med resort. The My Club Med app features options to create a personalized itinerary, preview the daily activity schedules and, launched in 2021, guests can now book spa appointments at Club Med Sandpiper Bay, Club Med Québec, and Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda. In 2021, the “room ready” feature was also deployed in North America, so guests can be conveniently informed upon check-in when their room is ready.