“True partnership”: Club Med celebrates 75 years at elegant white party in Montreal

In the spirit of its long-standing tradition of inviting guests to dress in theme, Club Med held an elegant White Party Tuesday night (Sept. 30) in Montreal in celebration of its 75th anniversary.

Bringing together 120 guests from the travel industry, who donned their best all-white attire, the lively evening at La Toundra in Parc Jean-Drapeau highlighted the successes of 2025 and thanked Club Med’s partners in Quebec and beyond, including travel advisors, tour operators, network leaders and more.

Jacinda Lowry, Club Med’s associate vice-president for Canada, opened the evening by thanking attendees for their commitment and loyalty, while also congratulating them on their stylish outfits.

“You are all very, very beautiful. Thank you for playing along with us,” she told the crowd.

She emphasized the importance of partnerships with industry players, describing them as essential to the brand’s success—both in good times and during more difficult moments.

“You are part of our success, and we are very, very grateful. This evening is our way of saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts—thank you for your partnership. You are with us when times are good, like tonight, but also when times are harder. That’s true partnership,” she said.

Looking back

Carolyne Doyon, Club Med’s CEO for North America and the Caribbean, took the stage to pointed out that it was Club Med’s first major event in Montreal since 2019, the year she left for Miami.

She reiterated the company’s ambition to become a benchmark lifestyle brand. "With our history and our roadmap for the future, we can definitely become an iconic lifestyle brand,” she stated.

She also praised the role of Club Med’s partners in this vision.“To reach our goal of being that iconic brand, we need you. We need you to keep believing in us and in our products.”

READ MORE: "Ready for expansion": Club Med NA CEO Carolyne Doyon on leadership, strategy & growth in Tremblant

Doyon revisited the company’s founding in 1950 by Gérard Blitz, noting that the core values of conviviality and relaxation particularly resonate with Quebecers.

“If Club Med hadn’t been invented by a Belgian, it would have been invented by a Quebecer,” she joked.

She retraced Club Med’s evolution through innovations—tables for eight, ski villages, buffets, Club Med II (a luxury yacht), miniclubs, sports schools—and its strategic transformation, launched in 2004, toward a premium positioning.

This shift led to a streamlined portfolio, with 70+ resorts, all either in the 4-Trident category or part of the Exclusive Collection, focused on superior guest experiences.

International growth & Quebec successes

The CEO also recalled Club Med’s entry into the Chinese market in 2010, through a partnership with Fosun, which became the majority shareholder in 2015.

She highlighted other milestones, including the 2019 opening of Club Med Miches in the Dominican Republic—the first in the Exclusive Collection line. This flagship resort, now highly successful, attracts a large Canadian clientele, with Canada being its top market today.

Doyon also celebrated the success of Club Med Québec Charlevoix, Canada’s first all-inclusive mountain resort, which, since opening in 2021, has welcomed over 130,000 guests in four years, with an average occupancy rate of 75 per cent.

READ MORE: “The perfect addition to our portfolio”: Club Med Mont-Tremblant is a go, says deputy CEO

She spoke of ongoing projects, including the upcoming Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari (opening July 2026), which will combine a beach stay with a safari experience.

“Your clients will find the Club Med touch, but with a twist,” she promised, expressing her hope that Canadians would become the resort’s number one clientele.

Closer to home, she invited partners to rediscover Club Med Punta Cana, reopening at full capacity in mid-October after $35 million in renovations, as well as the renovated Cancun resort.

More openings are planned, such as San Sicario (Piedmont, Italy) in December 2028, Borneo (Malaysia) in 2026, “and surely more surprises to come!”

And the Club Med Tremblant project? Ms. Doyon confirmed that it is progressing well and could be made 100 per cent official by year’s end (the project’s progress depends on several key steps, including securing financing and building permits).

“We are working hard, the whole team. Things are moving in the right direction,” she assured, stressing the importance of partner support to replicate the success of Québec-Charlevoix, while expressing her pride in representing Club Med internationally as a Quebecer.

Canada: Club Med’s third-largest market 

Vincent Giraud, Club Med’s managing director of Club Med Canada and North America commercial operations, began his speech by wishing Club Med a happy 75th anniversary.

He reminded guests that Club Med will also soon celebrate 50 years in Canada, noting that the country now represents the brand’s third-largest global market—a statement that drew applause.

Giraud highlighted the positive impact of the opening of Club Med Québec Charlevoix on brand awareness, acknowledging the role of the Voyages en direct (VED) network in promoting the resort from the very start.

He also mentioned Club Med’s airline partnerships, including with Air Canada, which will soon link Montreal with Sicily, home to the Cefalù resort.

Like his colleagues, Giraud emphasized the shared values between Club Med and the Quebec-Canadian market: a “DNA” rooted in conviviality, creativity, and a love of celebration.

“We were there for work, and it felt like a vacation”

Lowry then presented the key success factors of Club Med’s ski resorts before handing the floor to Nathan Scarazzati, regional sales director for Quebec, who detailed the Meetings and Events (MICE) offering.

Scarazzati shared the testimony of a corporate client who had organized their annual convention at Club Med Québec Charlevoix, summing up their experience as: “Everything was perfect… We were there for work, and it felt like a vacation.”

Ariane Brouillette and André Gasparini, both directors of business development in Quebec, also spoke.

Brouillette highlighted the renewed Club Med Punta Cana, which had been affected by a fire last year, as well as the refreshed Cancun resort.

For his part, Gasparini spotlighted resorts outside the usual destinations (Mexico, the Caribbean, Quebec), pointing to the 54 other Club Med villages worldwide—in places like Sicily, Morocco, and soon South Africa… not forgetting, of course, Club Med II!

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