TORONTO — After a full year of travel lockdowns and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Club Med is sharing how it has adapted to the new normal and its predictions for what travel will look like in 2021.

“By continually and thoughtfully updating our travel offerings, we are able to align with market trends to provide premium experiences while ensuring the safety and relaxation of our guests,” said Amélie Brouhard, YP, Managing Director, Club Med Canada. “In a year that was filled with uncertainty, we are well-positioned to share our learnings from 2020 as well as our predictions on what travel trends we’ll see take off in the year ahead.”

Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda

SAFETY PROCEDURES

Worldwide, Club Med’s ‘Safe Together’ program has a range of health and safety protocols that include protective face coverings for staff, hand sanitizer available throughout the resort, deep cleaning and frequent sanitizing of surfaces and facilities, social distancing, capped resort capacity, temperature checks on arrival and periodically during the stay, as well as doctor or nursing staff available 24/7 at the resort.

Resorts are also POSI-Check certified (recognition from Intertek Cristal for the prevention of the spread of infection) and operate with a reduced capacity to enable social distancing. Club Med is also bringing COVID-19 testing to most of its resorts to accommodate guests who require a negative PCR test prior to their flight home.

CONTACTLESS TECHNOLOGY

Club Med’s ‘Easy Arrival’ contactless check-in/check-out prepares guests to fully enjoy vacations immediately. From signing up children for childcare services to booking ski equipment ahead of time, everything will be ready for guests as soon as they arrive at the resort. Club Med’s Happy Digital initiatives help clients guarantee a seamless travel experience.

REMOTE WORK

Travellers have shown an appetite for extended stays at all-inclusive resorts where they can work or study remotely while also relaxing. Club Med is adapting to this trend by setting up ‘Workation,’ a hybrid stay between working remotely and a vacation with all-inclusive service. This option has been made available at Club Med Sandpiper Bay since last October, and will soon be available at Club Med Cancún, delivering premium Wi-Fi, dedicated workspaces (or free to set up beach or poolside) and printer access. Club Med also offers complete childcare services for a variety of ages.

DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS

The pandemic has spurred increased domestic travel with Canadians looking for shorter escapes closer to home. The all-new Club Med Québec Charlevoix, the brand’s first four-season mountain property, is scheduled to open on Dec. 3 2021 just outside Quebec City in Le Massif de Charlevoix region. Designed with packages, services and accommodations for families, couples, singles, friends and business groups, the 4-Trident resort features 302 rooms including an Exclusive Collection space with 25 suites. Club Med anticipates that approximately 50% of the clientele will be Canadians. Bookings are now available.

SUSTAINABILITY

Avid globetrotters are quickly getting behind the ‘Go green’ initiative in their tourism decisions and Club Med is supporting the cause. In 2018 Club Med launched its ‘Bye-Bye Plastics’ program and is on track to ban single-use plastic products from bars, restaurants and rooms in 2021.

Club Med’s ‘Happy o Care’ program details its commitment to building resorts that blend in harmoniously in exceptional sites. Club Med Québec Charlevoix, for example, is on track to be North America’s first hotel structure to comply with strict BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method) environmental standards and is working towards sustainable operations management of the resort in order to become Green Globe-certified by opening day.

NEW DESTINATIONS

Now more than ever, travellers are looking for new and secluded destinations, and this year Club Med will open Seychelles on a private island in the Indian Ocean, where social distancing is a way of life.

FLEXIBLE TRAVEL OPTIONS

To add more peace of mind, Club Med is offering the following:

• Free Cancellation Policy: For all stays booked until Dec. 16, 2021, guests can cancel their booking for free up to 31 days prior to departure (and 61 days instead of for stays during blackout dates); clients will receive a full refund of the land portion and air portion of their stay if flights were booked with Air Canada, Air Transat or WestJet
• Emergency Assistance Program: All guests travelling before Dec. 31, 2022 will receive coverage for emergency medical expenses during their stay, including those related to COVID-19.