To enhance its customer experience and its employees’ efficiency, Club Med announced a new stage in its digital transformation with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
MIAMI – Club Med, the pioneer of the all-inclusive concept, starts the year on a high note with a variety of new developments including major renovations to Club Med Cancún, a name change to the brand’s first South Africa resort, the implementation of generative AI to enhance guest and employee experiences, the full expansion of its Wellness Fusion program to all North American resorts, ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives and a winter sun & ski sale.
Wellness & Family-Friendly Renovations at Club Med Cancún
Club Med Cancún will undergo extensive renovations with enhancements to its Family Oasis and the addition of a Sports & Wellness Island, creating more spaces within the resort designed for guests to recharge and connect. Club Med Cancún is a naturally preserved resort with three private white sand beaches surrounded by a natural lagoon that provides an exceptional setting for water sports, family activities, and experiencing Mexico’s rich Mayan culture. Guests can soon expect a:
- Sports & Wellness Island that will combine an active sports area with a relaxation space. Highlights include a new palapa for a serene yoga experience amongst tropical trees and a lagoon view, plus facilities for archery, bocce ball, mini golf, multi-sport courts, and circus with trapeze. Set to complete April 2024.
- Dedicated Family Oasis inspired by the beauty of Mexico, providing guests with more space to play. The new area will be located next to the newly added 10 pickleball courts and Aguamarina Family Oasis, which features spacious family suites, a dedicated pool, kids bar and more. Set to complete December 2024.
- Addition of Baby Club Med, a dedicated childcare service for children (ages 4 months to 23 months) taken care of by professionally-trained staff. Babies will be able to discover color, sounds and the natural environment through activities including music workshops, nature walks, painting and daily family activities like cooking classes, pool parties and snack time.
- Children’s Club relocating next to Aguamarina to minimize the travel distance from family accommodations. The new area blends the spirit of exploration with the wonders of Mayan culture in a new convenient location.
- New play facilities, including a themed Splash Park, Water Park, Mini Pool & Playground, Fun Zone and Mini Cinema.
Club Med Cancún will remain open throughout the renovations.
Wellness Fusion North America Expansion
This year marks the final expansion of Club Med’s Wellness Fusion program across seven North American properties, including Club Med Turkoise and Club Med Punta Cana, which launched the program this past January. Combining a harmonious fusion of wellness experiences designed to harness ultimate peace of mind, the Wellness Fusion program offers guests a well-rounded itinerary filled with healthy nutrition, yoga, active sports, spa relaxation and nature reconnection.
Club Med first introduced the program in 2022 in response to travelers’ growing interest in participating in activities on vacation that enhance well-being and mental health. Since then, the program has grown to offer dedicated yoga G.Os (Gracious Organizers) for each resort, 20+ hours of yoga and meditation per week, guided wellness nights, rotating plant-based dishes inspired by a partnership with Food Network’s award-winning vegan Chef Chloe Coscarelli, and more. The Wellness Fusion program is now available across seven North America resorts including: Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda, Club Med Punta Cana, Club Med Québec, Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Club Med Cancún, Club Med Columbus and Club Med Turkoise.
New Resort Naming: Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari
Opening in 2026, Club Med’s first resort in South Africa is now officially named “Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari.” Formerly referred to as “Club Med Tinley,” this new name connects the destination and its unique offerings, further strengthening its integration within the Club Med portfolio. Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari will feature a surf-lifestyle concept, as well as the opportunity to stay on a Big Five Game Reserve and embark on a magical safari.
Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari, rendering.
This highly-anticipated Club Med addition is situated in KwaZulu-Natal, a province renowned for its diverse natural beauty and year-round warm weather. The beach resort will be nestled on the North Coast, fondly known as the “Dolphin Coast,” and offer panoramic views of the beach and coastal dunes. The resort interiors, entertainment and gastronomy will carry the flair of the destination, drawing inspiration from the location, climate, and cultures of Southern Africa. Three hours away in Northern Natal, guests will enjoy the same all-inclusive experience at the 80-room game lodge, with access to the wonders of the animal kingdom through a complete safari adventure.
The resort will include an Exclusive Collection space, providing a 5-star oasis of tranquility and indulgence to complement the pristine natural environment, along with a spa, fitness center, yoga school and an adults-only Zen pool and bar. For those looking to play on their vacation, Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari will offer an array of land and water sports for couples, friends and families, including the very first Surf School at Club Med. In keeping with brand’s dedication to corporate social responsibility, the resort will embrace environmental stewardship through its Bye Bye Plastic Program, Green Globe sustainable tourism certification, and eco-certified construction.
Club Med Implements New Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology
Club Med announces its integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence, a new development in Club Med’s ‘Happy Digital’ pillar that will enhance both the customer experience and employees’ efficiency through smart technology. The new AI technology, which uses existing content to learn and create new content, will accompany Club Med’s in-house data management platform, ‘Data Factory’ and streamline activity for teams and customers worldwide. This progress has transformed the way Club Med manages its information with currently, over 5 million new data points per day processed in real time.
Club Med is continuing to explore new types of AI to improve customer service, like Claude AI from Anthropic. This large language model (LLM) can be trained to provide personal answers in real time. The brand plans to offer this conversational experience to customers in select markets, helping them save time researching which of Club Med’s 70+ resorts are the perfect fit.
“Generative artificial intelligence, powered by a substantial collection of data, is taking us into a new era of innovations,” said Quentin Briard, Chief Executive Officer Marketing, Digital & Technologies at Club Med. “Our strategic choice towards customer-oriented digitalization and direct to consumer distribution has enabled us to create a volume of high-quality data. Thanks to generative AI, we are able to reinforce all of our strategic pillars, from individualizing our customer communications to improving our recruitment processes and developing innovative solutions to intensify our CSR commitments, thus reinforcing our Happy Digital positioning.”
To ensure the deployment of AI at Club Med is both ethical and controlled, Club Med has created an AI ethics committee, led by computer scientist and philosopher Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, Professor at Sorbonne University’s Faculty of Science. Club Med has also established a partnership with the French company S3NS, a subsidiary of Thales in partnership with Google Cloud, to ensure data hosting and encryption meets security and RGPD requirements.
Pioneering Sustainable Tourism
Club Med continues to put significant focus on its ongoing corporate sustainability efforts dedicated to responsible tourism with a focus on actively contributing locally through social and environmental partnerships and consuming responsibly through energy management and minimization of single-use plastics.
As part of its Happy to Care program, commitments for 2024-2025 for North America include:
- Green Globe and BREAAM Certifications: Marking continuous improvement in the sustainable approach of operations, Green Globe Certification for Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda, Club Med Punta Cana, Club Med Turkoise, Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Club Med Cancún and Club Med Québec. BREEAM Certification for Club Med Québec.
- Green Farmers: Supporting nearly 30 local small farm producers to promote local extensive agriculture in Dominican Republic.
- Renewable Energy: Solar panel farm at Club Med Punta Cana, providing 75% of clean energy annually.
- Environmental Partnerships: Turtle monitoring and protection program in Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Club Med Cancún and Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda’s pioneer program that launched in 2023; Turks and Caicos Reef Fund with interactive workshops on coral reefs at Club Med Turkoise and Club Med Columbus.
- Bye Bye Plastic Program:Club Med North America resorts are working toward the minimization of single-use plastics with biodegradable and glass alternatives including Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda’s onsite water bottling plant, which provides guests in-room glass refillable bottles that saves over 60,000 plastic bottles each year.
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