In a travel world of digital domination, Club Med is going back to bricks and mortar. Not to mention colourful decor, hot coffee and helpful advisors.
Club Med executives rolled into icy Toronto on 15JAN to show off their new travel agency storefront on Queen Street West.
“It’s going quite well,” Carolyne Doyon, Club Med President & CEO of North America, told Open Jaw in an interview. “It’s pretty much what we expected. It’s a flagship in a key market for Club Med.”
Doyon said the company could’ve opted for another street and a smaller office, but wanted to make a statement.
“When you pass through that door we want to give you an experience right away and to help you plan a vacation that’s perfect for you. It’s very different from what others do.”
A real office staffed with Club Med TEDs (Travel Experience Designers) also provides a personal touch that she feels customers will greatly appreciate in an increasingly digital age.
“At a shop like this you have contact with people,” she said. “Luxury means a trip that’s tailored and personalized, and we provide that. Anyone can make a simple reservation. But we find out what customers really want, and we make their trip really memorable.”
The 361 Queen St. West location puts shiny, deep blue Club Med signs in the middle of one of Canada’s busiest areas for both locals and visitors, with tens of thousands of streetcar riders rolling past the agency every day.
“This provides great brand awareness in one of our fastest-growing markets,” said Vincent Giraud, Managing Director of Club Med Canada and North America Sales Operations.
“It stands out in a positive way,” said agency manager Isabelle Thivierge as she showed Open Jaw around the office, which opened in November and features the deep blue Club Med Trident, splashes of bright colour and refreshments and coffee for visitors. “The sign really glows at night and gets people’s attention. Everyone who walks by takes a peek inside.”
“Some people walk in and say, ‘Club Med? Is it still in business?’ I say, ‘Yes, We’re bigger and stronger and stronger than ever.”
It’s similar to the design of the downtown Montreal agency (which opened two years ago) but double the size, Doyon said.
“Having a big space demonstrates we’re a successful company,” Thivierge added. Officials said Club Med wants to demonstrate that it’s an upscale travel product.
“Ontario and the GTA are so important as you have all this lift to Club Med destinations, not just in the Caribbean and Mexico but to Europe and Asia,” Doyon said. “Ontario residents usually take two vacations a year.
They’re willing to spend more, and they love all-inclusive properties. We check all the boxes.”
So far, in fact, 40% of all guests at Club Med Charlevoix in Quebec, the company’s first Canadian resort, are from Ontario, she said. It’s quite encouraging, and Club Med is now looking for more resorts in North America.
Thivierge said the Toronto Agency has an impressive computer system to help clients who come into the store.
“We’ve invested millions and millions and millions in our software to make it more user-friendly, for customers as well as staff. It’s very fast and very intuitive.”
Not only can travel designers show customers the resorts they might like, but the Club Med Toronto agency has a virtual reality device to help clients cement their holiday choice.
For those Ontario residents who might not be as familiar with Club Med as the company would like, Doyon said their worldwide resorts (roughly one in four are mountain resorts, including Europe and Japan), are great for families, as well as friends, couples and active travellers. So many options are included in the price, such as water skiing at some resorts and even trapeze lessons.
Yours truly visited the Buccaneer’s Creek Club Med in Martinique in November and came away very impressed with the variety and quality of the food.
Club Med continues to open new properties and renovate existing ones. Giraud said they’ll be re-opening their resort in St. Moritz in the Swiss Alps in 2025/26. There’s a new resort in the Italian Alps and also one in Borneo. The Val d’Isere resort in France has been renovated almost from scratch, and there are major renovations taking place at the Marrakech property as well.
A fourth property will open in Brazil next year and Club Med also has plans for a beach resort and safari property in South Africa. It will be the first Club Med in the country, with an opening slated for 2026.
The company last month opened a new resort in Japan called Club Med Kiroro Grand.
Doyon said Club Med might someday open a second Toronto-area location, perhaps in a suburb such as Oakville.
In addition to calling the central Club Med number at 647-948-3200, Thivierge said advisors can contact the Toronto agency by email: Toronto.agency@clubmed.com.
The Toronto Agency is open Monday through Friday from 10 am – 7 pm EST and Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm EST.
The Montreal office is at 600 Maisonneuve Blvd. West, on the ground floor of the KPMG Tower.
