Club Med To Open Resort In Colorado; More Expansion Planned In United States

MT. CRESTED BUTTE, CO? Club Mediterrnaee, more commonly known as Club Med, the Paris-based all-inclusive portfolio of travel destinations, has entered into an agreement with the Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) to purchase the hotel portion of the Crested Butte Marriott Resort here. The sale is expected to be finalized by the end of this month with the property?s reopening slated for November after a series of renovations. Club Med said it also has its eye out for other expansion in the United States. Although ?the [Crested Butte] property is in excellent shape, the renovations will ?Club Med-ize? the resort? into a more traditional Club Med family ski village, said Bob Blumberg, vp/sales and marketing for the North American zone of Club Med. ?We have a variety of new locations and products under development for North American members,? said Philippe Bourguignon, chairman/CEO of Club Mediterranee, in a prepared statement. While people have traditionally perceived the Club Med experience as a place for singles, Blumberg explained that approximately 65% of Club Med?s business comes from families. Club Med rolled out a new TV campaign in the fourth quarter of 1999 targeting families. The campaign?s three commercials highlight the shared parent/child experience at a Club Med village. In addition, a new print campaign was launched in family-oriented magazines in December. The advertising is part of Club Med?s ?Operation Renew? plan which has budgeted $360 million worldwide to upgrade more than 70 villages, expand services and enhance sports and activities programs. Villages that have already been impacted by Operation Renew are located in Port St. Lucie, FL; Cancun, Mexico; Guadeloupe, French West Indies; and Paradise Island, Bahamas. Club Med villages now upgrading under the program include: Playa Blanca, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Turkoise, Turks & Caicos; and Ixtapa. Other villages to be done by year?s end include Copper Mountain, CO; Eleuthera, Bahamas and, in Mexico, Huatulco and Sonora Bay. Club Med has also instituted activity programs that cater to specific age groups. For example, the Mini-Club is geared to children ages four to 12; Petit Clubs for the two to four age group; and Baby Clubs for infants from four to 23 months. Club Med has also segmented its properties into what it calls Tridents, the equivalent of hospitality tiers or market segments. The Tridents are categorized by the numbers two, three and four, with four the higher end of the properties. The CBMR will be marketed under Club Med?s 3-Trident, family village segmentation and will offer specially supervised activities and ski classes for children that participate in the Mini-Club. Adults will also be able to take daily ski classes with instruction for all levels. An all-inclusive ski package will include: accommodations; daily afternoon ski and snowboarding classes; lift tickets; all meals; nightly entertainment and kids? participation in Mini-Club Med activities. Club Med?s other family villages in the United States include the Club Med Copper Mountain in Colorado and Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, FL. Club Med is focusing its expansion efforts in the United States, Bourguigon said. ?We have a variety of new locations and products under development for North American members,? he noted. While no other deals have been signed, he indicated the company is looking at ?sun destinations? in the Caribbean and other ski areas.