Club Med: The Results of a 20-Year Move Upmarket

Perched on a 16-hectare rocky promontory (La Rocca) overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Club Med Cefalù—one of the group’s first villages, opened 60 years ago—perfectly illustrates the company’s new identity. Luxurious individual villas with Italian-inspired architecture, local gourmet cuisine, adults-only zen spaces, elite sports activities: the days of 1980s-style holiday villages are long gone. Between 2004 and 2024, no fewer than 72 closures, 28 renovations, and 42 openings marked Club Med’s transformation, allowing it to emerge as the premium tourism group it is rediscovering itself to be today. A massive investment—estimated in the billions of euros—was required. “A renovation costs around €50 million, and creating a new resort nearly €120 million,” explains Anne Browaeys, CEO of Club Med Europe, Middle East and Africa, in an interview with Luxury Tribune.

“All our resorts are now classified as Premium or Exclusive Collection. We shifted from a volume-based strategy to a value-based one, becoming the best price-quality ratio in the premium segment,” she explains. As Club Med celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, its goal is not to become a benchmark in ultra-luxury, but rather to consolidate its premium positioning while offering clients the option to access luxury if they wish. “The Exclusive Collection will never represent more than a quarter of Club Med’s turnover. It will remain a complementary product to the premium offer,” Browaeys adds. “Two strategic reasons explain this choice: first, to continue developing our hotel expertise in luxury while continuously strengthening the premium offer, and second, to shield ourselves from high-end competitors like Hyatt, Hilton, Accor, and Four Seasons, who are also expanding into all-inclusive.”