Is Club Med Headed to the Rockies? What We Learned at the Mont Tremblant Groundbreaking

At the groundbreaking for Club Med Mont Tremblant, the brand's North America CEO confirmed the company is actively eyeing the Rockies as its next mountain hub.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for Club Med Mont Tremblant in Quebec yesterday, Club Med North America & Caribbean president and CEO Carolyne Doyon acknowledged to TMR that the company is eyeing an even better way to fill its growing roster of all-inclusive resorts with more US customers. By 2030, she says, you'll likely be booking them at Club Med Rocky Mountains.

"We're actively looking at the Rockies" as part of "an aggressive development plan," Doyon said. "We want to create a North American ski mountain hub like we have in the Alps and in Japan. No one has an all-inclusive offering like that."

Club Med has announced plans to grow to 85 resorts by 2030 and 100 by 2035, including a new resort in Thailand. And while Doyon doesn't expect a Rocky Mountain ski resort in that first batch, she thinks it will come together "early on" in the final 15.

In the meantime, the two ski resorts in Canada — Club Med Quebec Charlevoix, which opened in 2021, and this new one on Mont Tremblant — will build bridges to new customers in the upscale North American luxury market that Club Med is eyeing. And it is hoping travel advisors will help it reach them.

Asked what percent of customers come through travel advisors, Doyon was emphatic: "Travel advisors have been our partners and brand ambassadors, and we want them to be part of our plan. We invite you to take our training and reach out to our BDMs. And because it's a product you need to discover and rediscover, we'll be doing a lot of FAM trips. So if you don't know Club Med, we invite you to come and live it."

The Charlevoix property has proven just how important the US market can be, Doyon said. Americans are Club Med's number-two demographic, behind Canadians, making up about a third of all guests. But their value is larger than that. They tend to travel in the winter high season, to stay longer — and to arrive later on the weekend and ski midweek, filling the slopes when the locals go back to work. And as they get to know the brand, added Club Med president and CEO Stéphane Maquaire, they come back to properties around the world.

Located on Versant Soleil/Timber Summit, the new all-inclusive ski-in/ski-out property will include a more luxurious Exclusive Collection space, with upgraded amenities and priority access. Mont Tremblant, meanwhile, is one of the largest ski destinations in North America, offering breathtaking nature, a vibrant pedestrian village, excellent connections to major international gateways, exceptional sunlight, and a world-class mountain experience.

Club Med's entrance has also triggered new investments that will add 62 acres of skiable terrain, eight new trails, and a high-speed quad chairlift beginning next winter — accommodating double the number of skiers that Club Med will add, and improving the experience for everyone on the mountain.

"This groundbreaking is an important milestone for us, for Mont Tremblant and for Quebec and Canada," Doyon said. For the hotel company, Club Med Mont Tremblant will help meet the "extreme demand for premium all-inclusive experiences in premier mountain destinations." And perhaps a sister property in the Rocky Mountains will as well.