Canadian favourite Club Med Turkoise will upgrade

TORONTO — For the 40,000 Canadians who check into a Club Med property each year, some major upgrades will be introduced to one of their favourite resorts this spring.

Club Med Turkoise, situated on famous Grace Bay Beach in Turks & Caicos, will transition from a 3 Trident to a 4 Trident resort on May 1. By earning its fourth Trident – the company’s star rating system – the resort now “falls in line with the rest of Club Med’s upscale portfolio,” says Julien Laurent, marketing and communication projects manager for Club Med Canada, who recently sat down with Travelweek in an exclusive interview.

The resort, which will remain adults only, received a top-to-bottom renovation during its closure following Hurricane Irma last September. According to Laurent, Turkoise was left with roof and water damage and beach debris, but its structure remained sound due to the fact that all Club Med properties, particularly those in the Caribbean, were built to withstand hurricanes.

Club Med Turkoise

“We were very lucky, with Turkoise being our only resort to have suffered hurricane damage,” he says. “Last year’s hurricane season was intense, but we were happy to report that no clients or employees were injured as a result. Everybody remained safe.”

Turkoise, Laurent adds, was already due for a refresh, so after Irma hit landfall the company took the opportunity to repair damages while at the same time make upgrades to rooms, restaurants and other common areas.

With its new four-star rating, Club Med Turkoise will boast 80 all-new, Deluxe-level rooms with added balconies, a new pool design, a new main bar called Blue Coral, and a brand new wine cellar located next to Grace Bay Restaurant, which also underwent a refresh. Its fitness centre has doubled in size, waterfront palapas have been added to offer shoreside spa treatments, large-scale LED screens were added to the main theatre, and digital bracelets will now offer guests easy, one-touch access to their rooms as well as the chance to book spa treatments and excursions.

Club Med Turkoise

Approximately 85% of Club Med’s current resort portfolio, adds Laurent, is comprised of 4 and 5 Trident properties, a major shift from 15 years ago when the majority of its resorts (about 75%) were 3 Trident. Laurent says this was a deliberate effort to transition the company into a more upscale brand, a natural evolution that occurred since Club Med opened its first resort – and created the all-inclusive concept – in 1950.

“Ten, 15 years ago, people were simply looking for an all-inclusive resort with a nice beach and a nice room, then relax for the rest of the week,” he says. “But now, people are looking for transformative experiences. And thanks to the fact that Club Med has what we call “must-try experiences”, we can offer travel souvenirs that people will remember and share.”

Laurent refers to Club Med’s diverse offering of on-site activities, including Cirque du Soleil experiences at Club Med Punta Cana’s Creactive Playscape, waterskiing, sailing, paddleboarding, basketball, scuba diving, snorkelling, wakeboarding, kitesurfing and more. Activities vary by resort, and are all included in the price.

Club Med Turkoise

And it’s not just sun and water activities, of course, as Club Med is also a leader in the all-inclusive ski market, with over 20 ski resorts in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps, one in China and two more in Japan. All eyes are now on Quebec, with a new-build, 4 Trident ski property coming to Le Massif de Charlevoix in 2020. The $120 million Club Med Le Massif represents the company’s very first Canadian resort, and its triumphant return to North America following the closure of two U.S. properties in the Rockies in the early 2000s.

“We always knew we wanted to come back to North America with an upscale offering,” says Laurent. “So after studying a lot of destinations in both Canada and the U.S., we decided on Quebec because the Club Med brand is well known there, plus it’s conveniently close to Ontario, New York and Massachusetts.”

He adds that Canadians will most likely be Le Massif’s top market, particularly those from Quebec and Ontario, the latter of which has been experiencing year-after-year growth across all properties. He also says the company hopes British Columbians will also show interest in Le Massif, despite having their own mountains on the West Coast.

And although Laurent can’t confirm whether the company has plans for another Canadian resort, he says it’s currently looking at more destinations in North America “to expand the brand and be able to offer ski destinations in both Canada and the U.S.”

For now, Canadians can continue to enjoy what Laurent says are their three favourite Club Med resorts: Club Med Punta Cana, Club Med Cancun, and Club Med Turkoise, all of which offer direct flights from Montreal and Toronto, as well as complete experiences for families and active couples.

Millennials in particular are of interest to the company for the simple fact that they travel the most out of all age groups, averaging 35 days of travel per year. And for those who say that 18-35-year-olds don’t have the budget for all-inclusives, Laurent is quick to point out that a Club Med vacation, including flight, starts at just $1,599.

“The more in advance you book, the better price you’ll get,” he notes. “We suggest booking more than six months in advance to secure the best price and the best room.”

What’s in the pipeline for Club Med, in addition to Turkoise and Club Med Le Massif? Club Med Cancun will debut 60 new rooms dedicated to families, a new pool and bar this July, following the success of its first 60 family rooms that debuted in 2014. This comes on the heels of a resort-wide renovation in 2017.

And this summer, the company’s first-ever 5 Trident resort in Europe will open its doors in Sicily. Club Med Cefalù, located one hour away from Palermo airport, first debuted in the 1960s and will now reopen in the summer for adults and children over the age of 8. It will boast three restaurants, three bars, archery, sailing, standup paddleboarding, a tennis school, two pools including one natural pool, scuba diving, and much more.

With new openings on the horizon, Laurent hopes to see Club Med’s newly launched Great Agents Loyalty Program continue to grow. Launched in December 2017, the program rewards Turquoise, Silver, Gold and Platinum Great Agents with one point for each dollar sold. Great Agents can redeem their points for free nights at Club Med resorts in North America (6,000 points = 1 free night), as well as earn upgrades for their clients, which Laurent says is a “win-win”.

“Travel agents represent more than 50% of the sales we do in Canada. In Canada, more bookings are done through agents than direct markets,” he says. “We have a strong relationship with our agent partners, and so we wanted to thank them for being such great ambassadors of our brand.”

For more information on the loyalty program go to clubmedagents.ca/GreatAgents. For more on Club Med go to clubmed.ca.