Jacinda Lowry, Club Med;
Flight Centre’s Jason du Sautoy; Carolyn
Doyon, Club Med &
Ashley Everett, Flight Centre
A happy Chris Lackstrom of
Ensemble Travel with Club Med’s Bob Ruttan &
Jacinda Lowry
Club Med ski resort
enthusiasts, all with Polimex Travel: Violetta Ganowska, Margaret Manitius
& Anna Olejarczyk
Confession: I used to be a Club Med G.O. Not a
bikini-n-beads one, merely a sales person in their Toronto office. But in
Club Med-speak, all staff, no matter who they are, are G.O.s, or “gentils
organisateurs” – friendly helpmates, and for a short while back there in the
80s I basked in the glow of the Club Med name.
Even back then there was competition in the all-inclusive
game, but Club Med always had a certain
je ne sais quoi: that French
flare, that great food and those generously-included sports (today it is the
largest sports academy in the world). Not to mention the famous, cosmopolitan
G.O.s who often spoke with swoon-inducing French accents.
All of which is still true today: there’s a ton of
competition but The Club retains a cachet not found elsewhere as a group of
agents learned last night at a birthday party celebrating the brand’s milestone
65
th birthday.
Carolyn Doyon, Senior Vice President of Club Med Canada
& Mexico thanked the group, especially for the support this year with
Canada showing a 12% increase in winter and 5% in summer. Groups, she said are
up 17%, and we learned that sports groups, corporate groups and weddings are
the winners there.
With The Club’s beach-and-sports image it’s easy to forget
they operate 20 ski villages in the Alps, a truly hassle-free way to spend a
vacation thanks to the all-inclusive convenience. Several agents at the event
cited ski resorts as by far their best sellers.
The champagne was poured, the glasses clinked and everyone
was very pleased to be part of the celebration - especially Chris
Lackstrom of Ensemble Travel, winner of a week for 2 at Club Mex Ixtapa!
