On Location: Club Med Punta Cana reclaims its magic after landmark transformation

When the Disney movie Cinderella came out in 1950, she beautifully transformed in front of our eyes and ended up wearing a tiara to a ball.

That same year, Belgian Gérard Blitz started something called Club Med that would manifest itself into a different kind of Tiara 75 years later.

The “Tiara” Exclusive Collection at Club Med Punta Cana allows guests to enjoy the highest level of personal service and accommodation – and it lasts until long after midnight.

It was against this elevated backdrop that, from November 2–6, Club Med welcomed 200 journalists, creators, travel advisors, and partners from more than 19 countries to its flagship North American resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where they showcased the property’s extensive new renovations.

While it wasn’t exactly turning a pumpkin into a carriage, the damage done to the resort after a fire in September 2024 has been magically transformed into a luxurious and welcoming space. 

The Punta Cana property has always held a special place for the Club Med organization, even for one of its newest employees.

“Punta Cana is not just a destination,” said President and CEO of Club Med Stephane Maquaire, who has been in this position for three months now. “It is a part of our identity. A part of our soul.”  

Opened originally in 1981, Club Med “put Punta Cana on the map,” added Carolyne Doyon, president and CEO of North America and the Caribbean, in an interview with PAX. “This is keeping with our pioneering spirit.”

Known as the inventors of the all-inclusive concept, Club Med continues to build on its storied past while looking firmly into the future with 30 new projects underway, to add to the 60 resorts they currently operate worldwide.

“We want to create every day unforgettable moments of happiness for our clients,” said Maquaire in a brand presentation to an audience of international travel journalists.

Sales triple in Ontario

Club Med is also making its own happiness with the success of their initiatives to market the brand outside of the Quebec market in Canada.

While Quebec still accounts for 75 per cent of Canadian sales, the remaining 25 per cent now comes from outside the province—driven largely by Ontario, where sales have tripled since 2019.

Overall from Canada (including Quebec), Club Med has doubled their sales since 2019.

The market in Quebec has always been traditionally strong. “If Club Med hadn’t been invented by a Belgian, it would have been invented by a Quebecer,” joked Doyon.

Club Med Punta Cana guests come from Canada, America and France primarily, but Club Med is also pushing out marketing to South America, with Brazil and Argentina at the forefront.

“We have great travel partners,” said Doyon, referring to travel advisors. “They are an extension of our own sales team and they are the best ambassadors.”

Vacation transformation

The renovated Club Med Punta Cana – under the leadership of Chef de Village Abdel Osmani – is now home to the largest aquatic park in the resort chain, making it the splashiest change guests will notice.

Additionally, the main restaurant, the lobby and the retail store all had to be redesigned and reconstructed after the fire.

New Costa del Coco Deluxe Rooms, featuring a private balcony and a luxurious spa-like bathroom with a rain shower, were also added.

Although resorts are often associated with traditional buffets—and Club Med does offer a marketplace-style version at its Hispaniola restaurant—the company has introduced a new dining concept called El Mundo.

It includes five different food concepts, served at separate buffet kitchen stations, representing some of the countries where Club Med has a presence.

The space has both outdoor and indoor dining, seating 860 (a 50/50 split). The food offerings include Smokey’s (American Barbecue), Chula (Latin America street food), Kyo (Japanese), Olea (Greek) and LouLou (French cuisine and pastries).

The heart of the resort is the new main bar, Joia, which is Spanish for Jewel. It is the largest bar in Club Med and in constant use from day until night.

The Bueno Vista Lounge and lobby is as welcoming as it is impressive. GG&Grace Chief Designer and founder Gauthier Guillaume is particularly proud of the celestial compass installation which dominates the space and which he said was inspired by navigation and exploration, two principles which fit with the Club Med culture.

“What’s the Dominican Republic’s largest import? It’s coffee. How can you not have a coffee shop on site?” asked our site guide (and she’s right).

Club Med has installed a coffee shop that serves up not only world class coffee, but light snacks for breakfast and lunch as well.

The executive team provided an update on all ongoing projects, in a tight presentation that took place in their new wedding venue space, Chez Bisutti. (A concept that joins four other Club Med locations who also offer this service. In 2025, Club Med will have hosted 300 weddings.)

Tremblant advancing in the right direction

Canada’s first Club Med resort opened in Charlevoix in December 2021, and has been a great success for Club Med, North America (and Canada), said Doyon.

And with the announcement that a Club Med project is underway for Tremblant in Quebec, Doyon is certain it will give Canada the chance to show off their mountain knowledge. 

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

“Things are lining up nicely,” Doyon told us when asked about the Tremblant project. “We are working hard to find the proper investors, and things are advancing in the right direction. We hope to move it from a potential project to a real project by the end of the year.”

Tremblant will be another four-season resort, as Charlevoix is, and will offer complementary activities to Charlevoix.  It is expected to be a 4 Trident space in the Exclusive Collection.

New & next

Janyck Daudet, the CEO of South America, presented an update on new openings coming to that region, including Gramado in Spring 2027. It will be the first Exclusive Collection Club Med resort in Brazil. 

Fortaleza (also in the Exclusive Collection) is expected to open in winter 2028 and will feature the first Kite Surf School.

“I have the best job in the world,” said Eileen Kett, senior vice president and general council, Americas, as she led off her discussion on upcoming renovations and new sites.

This included Palmiye, Turkey, which is undergoing renovations, and Les Boucaniers (Martinique), which has already seen extensive renovations but will be further extended in 2026.

This will include 56 deluxe suites, and a adults-only Zen Oasis area.

Serre Chevalier in France will see renovations by the end of 2025, and Phuket, Thailand went through extensive renovations in the summer of 2025. Borneo, Malaysia is opening in the summer of 2026, which features a jungle setting.

Kett invited journalists to pitch ideas for where Club Med should consider opening next (I cast my vote for the Philippines).

A press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony were held for press and dignitaries on November 4. Maquaire spoke of the special relationship Club Med has with the Dominican Republic, and also thanked the fire fighters and all who helped out with the 2024 fire.

“Today, as we look at this renovation, we feel pride and excitement.” He said. “We are not just cutting a ribbon. We are celebrating more than 40 years.”

The festive energy carried on into the night as a stunning drone show lit up the clear sky, followed by an open dance floor where guests joined in Club Med’s signature “Crazy Signs” choreography.

The last words belong to Blitz, perhaps even more meaningful now than in 1950.

"The aim in life is to be happy. The place to be happy is here. And the time to be happy is now."

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