Club Med: The All-Inclusive Resort Experience
Club Med, the renowned French all-inclusive resort brand, has been attracting vacationers for years. Often described as a summer camp for all ages (open year-round), these resorts offer a full range of activities, recreation, food, and drinks.
It’s safe to say that Club Med played a major role in the rise of the all-inclusive model, inspiring many top hospitality brands in the U.S. like Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and Hilton Honors, especially in the Caribbean.
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Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda in the Dominican Republic features one of its pool areas.
As Club Med celebrates 75 years, it is shifting focus to attract more luxury-oriented customers. This change follows the closure of some underperforming resorts, including its only U.S. property.
Initially, Club Med’s resorts were called «villages,» offering an egalitarian experience where all guests had access to the same amenities. Today, with more segmented consumer preferences, Club Med is introducing premium accommodations and resorts to cater to the luxury market.
Club Med Gregolimano in Greece recently completed a full renovation, updating guest rooms and suites.
All-inclusive resorts are growing fast. But can Club Med compete with luxury brands like Ritz-Carlton? Or is it aiming to bridge the gap between classic all-inclusives and pricier luxury hotels that may be too expensive for some millennials?
This shift is driven by Club Med’s new owner, Fosun, which is pushing a makeover to attract more millennials and affluent families seeking luxury.
Its financial results reflect this new direction.
Club Med’s All-Inclusive Demand Soars
Club Med’s all-inclusive offerings have seen a strong increase in demand. In 2024, the company’s business volume reached $2.38 billion, marking a 7% growth compared to 2023. The first quarter of this year continued the trend, with a 5.7% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year.
Premium and Luxury Growth
The brand expanded its premium and luxury offerings by increasing bed capacity by 5%, focusing exclusively on Premium (four-star resorts) and Exclusive Collection Resorts (five-star properties). The total number of guests rose by 1%, reaching 1.5 million in 2024. Occupancy rates at these top-tier properties also increased by 2%, with 75% occupancy across the year. The majority of guests came from France, China, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
Expanding Exclusive Collection
The Exclusive Collection continues to grow, featuring a handpicked selection of five-star resorts, villas, chalets, and the iconic French sailing yacht, Club Med 2. Notable additions include Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda in the Dominican Republic, which offers private boutique-style villas, and Club Med Québec Charlevoix, with premium lounges, private jacuzzis, and concierge services.
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Club Med in Quebec has quickly become one of the brand’s most popular, year-round resorts.
It’s these winter properties, some experts say, that are really fueling the growth. According to the South China Morning Post, Fosun Tourism co-president Andrew Xu sees tourist attractions featuring snow and ice to be a major tourist attraction in China, which could be a potential growth region for the brand.
This year, Henri Giscard d’Estaing, president of Club Med, announced that the Asia-Pacific region would be key to the brand’s growth and announced a restructuring of its executives to help achieve that momentum. Just last month, BusinessToday of Malaysia reported that cold weather-destination bookings from the country have jumped by more than 100%.
Club Med Val d’Isère is the newest in its Exclusive Collection of properties.
While many people associate all-inclusive vacations with fun in the sun on the coastline, Club Med has made great strides in growing its winter vacation resorts, which also draw guests during the warmer months for other activities. It has seen a 20% uptick in demand for these destinations, which now accounts for 35% of Club Med’s global business.
Its mountain properties are not just in the Alps or Quebec’s ski destinations. They are also in Vietnam, Japan and China. Its most popular beach properties include locations in Bali and the Maldives.
Recent renovations
Club Med Gregolimano is fresh from a multi-million-dollar renovation.
Club Med Gregolimano in Greece is one of the newest to show off the shining new effects of this investment. More than $32 million was pumped into this renovation to upgrade interiors with the help of interior designer Jean-Philippe Nuel, including guest rooms, public areas, restaurants and recreational amenities. Among the newest perks are an adults-only pool, padel courts and spa wellness areas.
Club Med Cancun has a new sports and wellness island with a dedicated palapa for quiet yoga classes, archery, bocce ball, mini golf, multi-sport courts and the iconic Club Med Circus School where guests can participate in their own trapeze lessons and other daredevil acrobatics. Other changes include a new family play area with its own pool and kids bar, pickleball courts, a Mayan-themed splash park, cinema and kids club activities for ages as young as four months.
The pool at Club Med Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic
By the end of this year, Club Med Punta Cana will have an all-new design with newly renovated rooms, upgraded dining venues and a poolside bar inspired by a Dominican casita. Club Med Phuket now offers archery, scuba diving, Thai boxing, and coming soon, a family “oasis” with a dedicated waterpark and almost three dozen guest rooms for parents traveling with kids.
Where are the Americans?
Club Med Charlevoix in Quebec
Club Med says all-inclusive experiences are driving “increased momentum” among American guests, especially at resorts like Club Med Québec Charlevoix and those in the French Alps. Last year, it saw a 16% increase in business volume for North America’s mountain resorts. Overall, North America represented a 5% year-over-year increase in business volume highlighting brand awareness among American travelers.
The lounge of the Club Med Vittel Golf Ermitage in the France Savoy Alps
The majority of guests at Club Med properties are French, and even the staff usually hail from France or French-speaking countries in addition to the local destination. The fact that Americans have not caught onto the idea of Club Med just yet may be due to the fact its brand name is not as well-known within the U.S. and it does not have a formal loyalty program like its primary competition.
What it does offer, however, is European touches no matter where you go, which may appeal to some American travelers looking for something more elevated than an all-you-can-drink pool party.
The newly added «Zen» adult pool at Club Med Gregolimano in Greece.
And that’s just what Club Med is trying to change about the all-inclusive image. Some properties boast adult-only pools without a bar, like the new pool added to its resort in Greece.
Other Europeans are also catching onto the Club Med ethos with British travelers being especially intrigued by the brand’s winter destinations, according to an article in The Telegraph.
What’s next
The circus school at Club Med Magna Marbella in southern Spain
All of this growth has also been fueled by home-grown tech tools that it is using to reach a wider range of customers. It launched a WhatsApp channel using artificial intelligence, which Club Med’s Richard De Villa tells Travolution addresses over 40% of questions. The brand also launched a comparison tool that helps potential travelers compare different ski resorts.
Club Med is counting on courting more American travelers to its resorts. The brand’s portfolio includes destinations both near and far from the U.S. with plans to grow in U.S. mountain destinations with all-season resorts in the coming years.
The private villa accommodations at Club Med Cefalù in Italy
A new resort at Versant Soleil of Mont Tremblant in Canada is planned for a December 2028 opening, adding to its winter portfolio in the region.
Coming soon is a new resort in South Africa, which will provide both beach and safari experiences on the 45,000-acre Hluhluwe game reserve. It will be home to Club Med’s first ever surf school. Also on traveler radars are new properties in Oman (Club Med Musandam opening in 2028), Brazil (Club Med Granado opening next year) and Malaysia