Club Med (short for Club Méditerranée) is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in highly exotic locations. It is seen by many as having started the all-inclusive resort concept, which is now a popular vacationing style for people of all ages. Image File history File links Clubmed_logo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Euronext N.V. is a pan-European stock exchange based in Paris[1] and with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The tone or style of this article may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “Tourist” redirects here. ... Look up revenue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

History

Foundation

The Club was started in 1950 by former Belgian water polo champion, Gérard Blitz. The first village opened on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The original villages were, by concept, very simple with members staying in unlit straw huts on a beachfront, sharing communal washing facilities. Such villages have been replaced with modern blocks or huts with ensuite facilities. Gérard Blitz (Antwerp, 1912 - 3 March 1990) was a Belgian Jew and champion water polo player. ... Location Location of Mallorca in Balearic Islands Coordinates : 39° 30’N , 3°0E Time Zone : CET (UTC+1) - summer: CEST (UTC+2) General information Native name Mallorca (Catalan) Spanish name Mallorca Postal code 07001-07691 Area code 34 (Spain) + 971 (Illes Balears) Website http://www. ...

The club joining fee was set at 300 French francs and the cost of a two-week vacation at 15,900 francs.
ISO 4217 Code FRF User(s) Monaco, Andorra, France except New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna ERM Since 13 March 1979 Fixed rate since 31 December 1998 Replaced by €, non cash 1 January 1999 Replaced by €, cash 1 January 2002 € = 6. ...

Expansion

The number of villages increased greatly under the leadership of Gilbert Trigano (Blitz's business partner), from 1963 to 1993. Winter villages, providing skiing and other winter sports tuition, were introduced, starting in 1956 with the village at Leysin, Switzerland. In 1955 the first club outside the Mediterranean was opened, in Tahiti. The North American market was later entered with an "American Zone" of villages in the Caribbean and Florida where English rather than French was the main language of communication. Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Leysin is a commune in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Aigle. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ...

The target clientele has also evolved. Originally mainly attracting singles and young couples, the Club later become primarily a destination for families, with the first Mini Club opening in 1967.

Club Med 2 is a 5-masted cruise ship owned by Club Med. The sails are automatically deployed by computer control. Club Med 2 was launched in 1992 in Le Havre, France. The ship, carrying up to 400 passengers with a crew of 200, cruises the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Atlantic.

The Club has also ceased to be a club in the legal sense, changing from a not-for-profit association to a for-profit public limited company (French SA) in 1995. The concept of membership has been retained with each customer charged a joining and annual membership fee. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 542 pixelsFull resolution (2181 × 1478 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 542 pixelsFull resolution (2181 × 1478 pixel, file size: 2. ... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... Le Havre is a city in Normandy, northern France, on the English Channel, at the mouth of the Seine. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... S.A. is the abbreviation of Société Anonyme in French, Spółka Akcyjna in Polish, Sociedad Anónima in Spanish, Sociedade Anónima in Portuguese, or Naamloze Venootschap (N.V.) in Dutch, generally designating corporations in various countries. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Diversification

In the 1990s, the Club's fortunes declined as competitors copied its concepts and holidaymakers demanded more sophisticated offerings. Serge Trigano took over from his father but was replaced in 1997 by Philippe Bourguignon, former CEO of EuroDisney. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Philippe Bourguignon. ... Euro Disney SCA - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

Bourguignon aimed to change the Club "from a holiday village company to a services company". The club took over a chain of French gyms, launched bar/restaurant complexes Club Med World in Paris and Montreal and commenced a budget resort concept aimed at young adults, Oyyo with its first resort at Monastir in Tunisia. Thirteen new villages were planned for the new century. This article is about the capital of France. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Monastir could be a city in the Republic of Macedonia now called Bitola Monastir, Italy - a village near Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, famous for fruit production. ...

Relaunch

The change in strategy was not successful and the Club fell deeply into loss in the downturn following the September 11, 2001, attacks in the USA. In 2002 a new CEO, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, was appointed. A new strategy was announced, returning to a focus on the holiday villages and for upmarket vacationers. Oyyo, Club Med World Montreal and many villages, particularly those in North America or with more basic facilities, were closed. The Club returned to profit in 2005. The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Henri Giscard dEstaing (born October 17, 1956) is a French business figure and son of former French President Valéry Giscard dEstaing. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2004, the hotel group Accor became the largest shareholder, but it sold most of its stake in 2006, announcing that it wished to refocus on its core businesses. [1] Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Accor (Euronext: AC) is a large French multinational corporation, part of the CAC 40 index, whose main business is running chains of hotels and restaurants. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Club Med experience

Each resort provides an extensive list of services and activities in one single package. This includes lodging, food, use of facilities, sports activities, games, and shows. However, certain items such as alcoholic beverages require the use of beads or tickets as a form of payment. Many villages are now all-inclusive for alcohol and snacks. Club Med staff are called "GOs", or Gentils Organisateurs (Gracious Organisers). Clients are "GMs", or Gentils Membres (Gracious Members). The resort is known as a village. The resort manager is called the chef de village (village chief).

The special feature of Club Med is that the GOs and GMs play, dine, drink, and dance together every day and night. Outdoor buffet dining (usually on tables of eight, mixing GMs and GOs), daytime sport tuition and evening show with extensive audience participation are part of the holiday experience.

A particular institution is the communal dance or crazy signs led by the GOs at varying intervals during the day and evening (the frequency varies by village). The dance steps for each song are standard across the organisation with some new ones introduced each year. The evening shows, often requiring detailed choreography, are also standardised and include both new and established routines.

GOs are moved between villages and many work both winter and summer seasons. All GOs, regardless of their specialism (a sport or administrative function), are expected to regularly participate in both the show and "crazy signs". Their work is supplemented by locally-recruited support staff such as cleaners and cooks, known as "GEs" or Gentils Employés (Gracious Employees).

The villages are divided into 6 concepts or "pleasures" such as: "to discover"; " to experience the exceptional"; or "to live life to the full". Most villages today are designed for families, with villages providing daytime supervised facilities for different age ranges: the "Baby", "Petit", "Mini", "Junior's" clubs and 12 Passworld facilities worldwide which offer a special hang out space for 11-17 year olds. A minority of villages remain either adults only or open to children but without dedicated children's activities.

The Club's 2006 advertising slogan, which reflects its revised strategy, is: "Discover the new Club Med, refined, exceptional, a la carte".

As of January 2007, the Club operates 90 villages, in Europe, Africa, USA, The Caribbean, South America, Southern Asia, French Polynesia, and Australia. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ...

Club Med in film

The Club Med style of vacation was satirised in the 1978 film, Les Bronzés (released in English as French Fried Vacation) directed by Patrice Leconte. Sequels Les Bronzés font du ski and Les Bronzés - Amis pour la Vie were released in 1979 and 2006 respectively. Les Bronzés (French Fried Vacation) is a 1978 French film directed by Patrice Leconte. ... Patrice Leconte (born November 12, 1947, in Paris, France) is a French film director and screenwriter. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Jim Carrey and Alan Thicke star in 1983's Copper Mountain: A Club Med Experience, set at the now-closed Club Med village in the U.S. ski resort at Copper Mountain, Colorado. James Eugene Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a two-time Golden Globe Award-winning Canadian-American A-list film actor and comedian. ... Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey on March 1, 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian actor, songwriter, game show host and talk-show emcee. ... Copper Mountain was suppose to be a comedy film. ... St. ... Copper Mountain is a mountain located in Summit County about 75 miles (121 km) west of Denver, Colorado, right on Interstate 70. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

A TV Movie was made by the ABC network in 1986 titled "Club Med". It starred Jack Scalia, Linda Hamilton, and Patrick Macnee. It also featured appearances by Bill Maher, Sinbad, and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Jack Scalia (born 1950) is an actor from the 1970s and 1980s. ... Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American movie actress born in Salisbury, Maryland. ... Patrick Macnee (born Daniel Patrick Macnee on February 6, 1922 in London) is an English born American actor. ... William Bill Maher, Jr. ... The name Sinbad when used alone refers to more than one personage, place, or thing. ... Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García on September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban American singer and songwriter. ... Gloria, Live & Re-wrapped Tour Promo Poster Gloria Estefan (birth name Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo, born September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba), is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, who began her career as lead vocalist for the then exclusively Spanish-language band, Miami Sound Machine, in...

There is also a song by Camper Van Beethoven called "Club Med Sucks" in which the band claims the institution exploits the "poor and the weak." Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group. ...

There is also a horror movie titled "Club Dread," a play on the Club Med name. DVD case cover for Club Dread Club Dread is a 2004 comedy/horror film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard, who also created Super Troopers. ...

In the Pink Panther Series, The Pink Panther makes a reference to Club Med in the Episode: Momma's Boy.

In the Simpsons episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car," one of Dr. Nick Riviera's diplomas reads "Club Med School." In the episode, "Little Big Mom," Bart says that he and Homer, who have been sent to a leper colony in Hawaii due to a since-discovered trick played on them by Lisa, plan to "put our fake sores back on, then jump into Club Med and scare the normals." The Simpsons. ... Bart Gets Hit by a Car is the tenth episode of The Simpsons second season. ... Nick Riviera, M.D. (voiced by Hank Azaria) is a character in the long-running animated TV series The Simpsons. ... Little Big Mom is the tenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. ... Bart can refer to: A diminutive of Bartholomew Barts is the frequently used abbreviation for St Bartholomews Hospital in the City of London. ... For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... A leper colony is a place to quarantine people with leprosy from the rest of the population. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Lisa may refer to: LISA (astronomy), the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna LISA (conference), the Annual System Administration Conference Lisa assembler, a 6502 assembler for Apple II Apple Lisa computer, the precursor to the Apple Macintosh Life Insurance Settlement Association Mahu, a creator deity in Dahomey mythology Mona Lisa, the oil...

Criticism

Club Med was famously criticised in graffiti during the May 1968 student uprising in Paris as "a cheap holiday in other people's misery." For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with stereotypical silhouette of General de Gaulle. ...

A song is written by Santa Cruz, CA rock band Camper Van Beethoven claiming "The people there, they are so stupid They exploit the poor and the weak I want no part of their death culture I just wanna go to the beach"

^[1]

References

1. ^ Marcus, Greil. Lipstick Traces. Picador. 

Greil Marcus (2006) Greil Marcus (born 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. ...

External links

• Corporate website
• U.S. Corporate website
• Canadian Corporate website

The Club Med Experience

• Club Med Community site for GOs and XGOs