What does Club Med all inclusive vacations stand for?
Club Med all inclusive vacations is a place of experience that all vacationers dream of discovering.
Club Med all inclusive vacations villages are well known all over the world.
In 2020, Club Med celebrated its 70th anniversary, but also the beginning of a completely different way of travelling.
Because since its creation in 1950, this concept has revolutionised holidays with the start of the “all inclusive” concept, communal tables and collective sports sessions.
This is the story of this group which had to reinvent itself over the years.
A wind of freedom after 1945
The Club Med all inclusive vacations adventure begins on land without water or electricity.
It is 1950, and 200 tents and kitchen equipment are installed to prepare for the arrival of the first customers in the north of the Spanish island of Majorca.
The objective is to offer holidays like no other, to create a wind of freedom just after the war.
At the origin of the project, there is a man, Gérard Blitz, who wanted to revolutionize the world of tourism.
France was coming out of a period of forced confinement during the Second World War, which lasted four years and was terrible. Not surprisingly there is a desire for happiness, a desire to enjoy life to the fullest again.
Blitz invents a concept of holidays where no one talks about money, where people get together to go somewhere and share a moment of conviviality.
The birth of Club Med all inclusive vacations
All-you-can-eat buffets, communal tables, shared evenings, team sports…
More than 2000 customers attended the opening of the very first Club Med all inclusive vacations.
A success that marks the beginning of the “all inclusive” concept.
And the first worked so well that a second club opened its doors in Italy the following year.
But Gérard Blitz wanted to innovate again.
He tells himself that to keep developing, he has to go for clubs that can be set up and dismantled.
Scouting for various manufacturers of tents, he meets Gilbert Trigano.
Trigano played a crucial role in the development of the Club Med all inclusive vacations in the 1960’s: quality camps, creation of the mini-club, arrival of the G.O’s – the nice organizers, as well as GM’s – the nice members…
For 20 years, it was a success and Club Meds were built everywhere in the world.
The managers of Club Med all inclusive vacations
Throughout its history, Club Med has had his fair share of different managers.
In 1954, Gérard Blitz was joined by Gilbert Trigano, who nine years later became the CEO. In 1966, it was this man who decided to list the company on the stock market.
Thanks to Trigano Club Med all inclusive vacations became a success, developing on the scale of a multinational company and experiencing the success that we know today.
While Gérard Blitz slowly moved away from managing the company, Gilbert Trigano left in 1993 and was replaced by his son, Serge, who was in charge for four years, trying to enhance the image of the Club Med all inclusive vacations.
Serge Trigano then left and Philippe Bourguignon came into the picture, and the company goes through some changes again. He enhanced the Club Med image, modernised the holiday villages and developed the company’s services. This strategy pays off, and leads to an increase in the market value of the company.
In the early 2000s a tourism crisis developed.
Henri Giscard d’Estaing, son of a French ex president, took over the management of Club Med all inclusive vacations. He decided to move upmarket, gradually positioning towards more luxury to attract wealthier clients. The clubs are again renovated and modernized and the concept slowly moves away from the concept of conviviality that was there in the beginning.
In 2015, the Club Med group is taken over by the Chinese company Fosun, which allowed it to develop and gain new momentum.
Today, there are 70 clubs around the world.
And Club Med plans to open 16 new complexes by 2023.
Club Med tridents
From the beginning, Club Med all inclusive vacations has used a trident in its logo, symbol of the god Poseidon, god of the sea.
During its internationalization, the brand has had different logos with different representations of the trident. In 1998, during a huge advertising campaign, this logo was unified in all its versions.
The tridents also replace the stars often used in tourism (hotels and restaurants) and show the level of quality and services of each holiday resort, ranging from three tridents to five for the most luxurious hotels.
A concept of its own
Club Med all inclusive vacations has been able to differentiate itself by creating a separate concept, an identity of its own.
The concept of an all-inclusive holiday: for a fixed amount, holiday-makers enjoy an all-inclusive formula: the rooms, the catering within the resort but above all activities and entertainment, even for the little ones.
Club Med all inclusive vacations wants to be a place where the whole family can enjoy their holidays: children are taken care of in the mini or youth clubs where dedicated entertainment is offered to them while parents take advantage of all the sports facilities.
Well-being is central when you stay at a Club Med resort.
Club Med all inclusive vacations also stands out from its competitors thanks to its own vocabulary: at Club Med, everyone has a nickname. Club Med employees are called Gentils Organiseurs (GO) or Gentils Employés (GE): all of them are valued by these designations, regardless of their core business. Customers are baptized Gentils Members or GM.
A Club Med Pass allows its members to pay for all their internal purchases at the holiday resort shops.
Loyalty is also valued by the Great Members club.
In this post, you will find what we personally think of Club Med vacations.
Club Med all inclusive vacations around the world
Today, Club Med has villages spread all over the planet.
In Africa (Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia), in Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Turkey), in Asia (China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand), in America (United States, Brazil, Mexico), in the Indian Ocean and the West Indies.
You can therefore discover dream destinations such as Mauritius, the Maldives, the Greek islands and many other paradise islands.
You can read our reviews of 3 Club Med villages here:
Club Med also has a cruise ship: the Club Med 2, which offers different routes.
Apart from its holiday villages, the brand has also started the construction and promotion of individual villas, marketed for rental.
There are two: the villas of Albion, in Mauritius and the villas of Finolhu in the Maldives. The concept is also launched in France in the Alps, with chalets in Valmorel.
Club Med all inclusive vacations is defined by its concept where holidays rhyme with well-being and relaxation.
Its creator, Gérard Blitz said it this way: “The goal in life is to be happy, the time to be happy is now, and the place to be happy is here”.
