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Sales tips for Club Med ski breaks

Club Med hosted Advantage board directors and members on a ski trip to its Peisey-Vallandry resort in the Savoie region of the Alps. For two of the ski group, it was their first taste of the Club Med all-inclusive concept. They told Pippa Jacks how they will sell it in future

 

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Best group pic Nick Marks far right.jpg
Best group pic Nick Marks far right.jpg

Verity Eyre, general manager, Voyager Travel Direct

Verity Eyre, general manager, Voyager Travel Direct

What had been your experience of Club Med prior to the trip?

Our agency wasn’t a big seller of Club Med, probably due to a lack of product knowledge. I’d never visited a Club Med resort before, so it was great to experience it first-hand. I presumed Club Med was just for luxury clients, but saw that it is great for families, groups and couples as it offers excellent value for money and they will not need to take spending money on their holiday.

 

What did you like about the concept?

There are so many additional touches that you get on a Club Med holiday compared with a standard ski holiday that are difficult to convey via their brochure or website. It’s these extra touches that give the Club Med concept the wow factor. For example, ski lockers with heaters where you can hang your ski clothes and equipment to dry overnight. The Club Med GOs (gentils organisateurs) greeted every guest each morning on their way to the slopes with hugs, pastries, coffee, sweets and even shots!

 

How would you describe the food?

The restaurant was buffet-style for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a huge range of options. One evening there was a very comprehensive seafood buffet including oysters, which is why a Club Med holiday can be sold as a “premium all-inclusive”. When we got back to the hotel each afternoon, there were apres snacks available such as crepes and cakes. Some evenings there were pre-dinner appetisers and they were even handing out free mojitos one night. Unlimited drinks are available from the bar, and the house wine served with lunch and dinner was also of a very good standard.

 

How would you compare it with other ski products that you might already sell?

Most ski operators do not pay commission on ski extras. With Club Med, ski lessons and lift pass are included in the package price, so it means agents earn commission on it. Even spa treatments and ski boot hire are commissionable if you pre-book them for your client. And because meals and drinks are factored into the package price, agents are in effect earning commission on what would otherwise be clients’ spending money in-resort, which could be hundreds of pounds if they were with another ski operator.

 

How will you sell Club Med now that you have experienced it?

I will definitely recommend it for families, as all-day childcare is included in the price, leaving parents free to ski. But really, any ski client who would spend upwards of £500 per person on a ski holiday could be upsold to Club Med. Lift passes are typically £200-250; lessons are usually around £130; and the cost of lunch or drinks on the mountain every day soon adds up (I paid £3.50 for a Coke and £5.50 for a small beer). Going all-inclusive allows customers to budget for their holidays without the need to take spending money. I will certainly make sure our agency tries very hard to sell Club Med in the future. We’ll be integrating the product into our website as soon as we can.

Vanessa Bird, owner, Owen’s Travelmaster

Vanessa Bird, owner, Owen’s Travelmaster

What had been your experience of Club Med prior to the trip?

I have sold a few, not many, Club Med holidays but until now had not experienced it. It’s a brand that has been on our luxury shelf for years and I’ve always thought of it as a product for more affluent clients. From the clients I have sent to Club Med, I knew they provided excellent service, high quality and exceptional childcare, and Peisey-Vallandry did not disappoint. The GOs were really impressive, with after-dinner entertainment from singing and dancing to comedy – even the general manager took to the stage.

 

How would you describe the food and accommodation?

I’m not a fan of buffet restaurants, but the food was impressive – so much variety and beautifully presented. My room would be great for families: it had a large comfy bed with a separate lounge/sleeping area for two children and a balcony. There was more than enough storage space for a family. The public areas are great for relaxing with a drink after a day’s skiing and for meeting up again for pre-dinner drinks. I didn’t have the energy to use the pool, gym or fitness rooms, but it’s ideal to have them on-site for days when the weather isn’t great on the mountains.

 

What elements of the Club Med concept impressed you most?

I was particularly impressed that they had their own ski equipment shop on the premises. One of the worst parts of a ski holiday for me is the battle to sort out your equipment on the day you arrive or your first morning. The ski hire shop was open throughout the afternoon and getting the skis fitted was, for the first time, a hassle-free experience. The fact that in the morning there are GOs on hand to help you to the slopes with your skis was more than a welcome touch. I also loved the free hugs.

 

Favourite moment of the trip?

Apart from meeting a group of lovely new people, I particularly loved the Wednesday morning skiing as there had been fresh snow overnight. We had the slopes virtually to ourselves, and as per usual I was trailing behind the rest of the group. When I caught up with them, Nick told me he had just led me down my first ever black run. And later that morning, he told me I had made my way down the black side of the run of my own accord.

 

How would you compare Club Med with other products you sell or have experienced?

We book winter sports through Neilson, Mark Warner, Inghams, Crystal and so on. The Club Med concept is not too different from Mark Warner in terms of the childcare and quality of the holiday, but Club Med includes far more. Hopefully, as a result of the fam trip I will be able to secure more Club Med bookings. I will be confident selling the holiday – I just need the right person to walk through the door.

 

Pick of the ski resorts

 

Nick Marks, director of Baldwins Travel Group, has visited several of Club Med’s ski resorts and makes the following recommendations:

 

For experienced/adventurous skiers: Club Med’s Val Thorens resort is brand new, right on the slopes and with wonderful views. The Three Valleys is hard to beat.

 

For learners: All resorts are pretty good for this but if I had to choose one I would go for Aime la Plagne.

 

For families with young children: Valmorel, which was previously Club Med’s flagship resort. The kids’ facilities are excellent.

 

For a boozy stag do: Arcs Extreme resort. We recently had my brother’s stag do here and the attention to detail with our special requests was impeccable.

 

For high-spenders: Chalets de Valmorel: your own butler will do everything from ski-boot shining to unpacking your bags.

 

For clients on a smaller budget: Arcs Extreme again. There is fantastic food, all the all-inclusive wine, cocktails and beer you could need, and ski-in ski-out facilities.

 

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