Club Med provides luxury all-inclusive vacations in global locations, with a focus on delivering personalized experiences through a diverse international staff.
Julie Colwell
Principal Strategist
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For decades, Club Med has been synonymous with idyllic getaways, conjuring images of pristine white-sand beaches and luxurious alpine chalets. Yet, behind the scenes of these meticulously crafted, all-inclusive vacations lies a deeply human-centric business model, brought to life by 25,000 employees from over 100 nationalities across 70 resorts in 40 countries.
At the heart of this enduring philosophy, is a simple yet profound aim: to create happiness and provide a space for people to truly disconnect and enjoy life. This ethos is encapsulated in the founder's mantra, "The purpose of life is to be happy, the place to be happy is here, and the time to be happy is now."
Guiding this iconic brand's evolution are leaders like Julien Denis, VP of HR digital transformation, and Sylvie Brisson, chief human resources officer (CHRO). Their collaborative efforts cultivate the Club Med spirit, a unique blend of conviviality, freedom, and multiculturalism, that thrives through both its dedicated workforce and the seamless experiences they deliver.
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¡°We have multicultural values, and work on a worldwide level. This means we recruit everywhere for every role from sports instructors to housekeeping.¡±
Sylvie Brisson, as CHRO, is tasked with nurturing the global talent responsible for crafting these memorable holidays. Club Med employs two primary categories of staff in its resorts: Gentle Employees (G.Es), who typically work in their home countries, and Gentle Organizers (G.Os), who are hired for international assignments in vacation villages. G.Os, known for their passion for travel and unparalleled sense of service, are crucial to upholding the company's upscale image.
Brisson emphasizes that these G.Es and G.Os, with their diverse backgrounds and unwavering dedication, are the true custodians of the Club Med spirit. She highlights multiculturalism as one of Club Med's five core values, alongside freedom, kindness, pioneering spirit, and responsibility. "We have multicultural values, and work on a worldwide level,¡± Brisson says. ¡°So we recruit for roles from sports instructors to housekeeping staff across many countries.¡± In fact, 75% of resort jobs are filled by local talent.
A significant aspect of Brisson's role involves strategically sourcing talent globally. Twice a year, her HR team conducts a comprehensive global review to assess needs, actively seeking talent from countries known for specific skill sets. Culinary teams are primarily recruited from Italy, Turkey, Mauritius, and France. This dynamic approach necessitates accurate data and efficient information flow to optimize reorganizations.
"It was very important for us to have a worldwide tool for our unique database and platform," Brisson explains, underscoring the need for global HR business partners to access talent pools for international assignments, such as a Brazilian G.O working in China or a French G.O in Canada.
Brisson firmly believes that digital tools ought to simplify life for both guests and employees. For staff, this translates to easy mobile access for everything from payroll to performance reviews, freeing them from computers and allowing more direct interaction with guests. She points to G.O Match, an AI-assisted tool that automates staff assignments. This system not only supports internal mobility but also effectively matches individual skills and desires with organizational needs.
The Club Med spirit remains paramount for Brisson. She views this distinctive culture of genuine connection between teams and guests as a key differentiator and a primary driver for repeat visits. "It's always a challenge to enable our teams to deliver that high level of Club Med spirit," she acknowledges, "but it's also gratifying to see how powerful this is." This inherent human touch, she contends, is what keeps Club Med at the forefront of the hospitality industry.
Julien Denis, VP of HR digital transformation, is responsible for conceptualizing and implementing a technology plan that is both impactful and seamlessly integrated. His focus is on developing a digital strategy that supports Club Med's distinctly human-driven business model on a large scale. This means simplifying processes and making sure that technology enhances, rather than detracts from, the human connections central to the Club Med experience.
"We¡¯re a human company with a human experience product, so every digital decision we make should automate, simplify, and support our all-inclusive experience," he emphasizes. Denis believes that for a brand like Club Med, the ultimate goal for technology is to become so intuitive that people forget about it, even as it profoundly improves their lives.
A crucial element of Denis' strategy is making certain that any technological integration aligns with Club Med's core values and management culture. The objective is to reduce complexity and make every interaction valuable for both guests and employees. For example, guests can pre-record their ski equipment needs before a trip, so everything is ready upon arrival, eliminating queues and maximizing time on the slopes. Similarly, technology can facilitate guest requests such as finding a tennis partner of similar skill or booking spa appointments and dinner reservations. "From our technology to our guest experience, our goal is to reduce complexity and make every single interaction valuable," says Denis.
Denis also champions a skills-based approach to talent management. "With a skill strategy, what we expect to do is to move from a time where we were looking at what are the seven competencies for you to succeed in this job to what we can do together to bring you closer to your ideal career path," he explains.
This philosophy encourages more diagonal moves within the organization, fostering career growth and retention by focusing on managing employees' long-term career trajectories rather than simply filling immediate skill gaps. He views the HR digital transformation at Club Med as a forever story due to HR's central role in the business model. His vision includes AI agents becoming "the G.Os of our G.Os," helping employees focus on their primary mission: being present with G.Ms (Gentle Members, or guests) and enhancing their vacation experience.
¡°From our technology to our guest experience, our goal is to reduce complexity and make every single interaction valuable.¡±
Both Julien Denis and Sylvie Brisson champion the idea that technology should be an enabler, seamlessly supporting the human element that defines Club Med. Denis speaks of technology that people forget while it changes their lives, aiming for the most impactful, invisible technology. Brisson echoes this sentiment, explaining "When you think at Club Med, you don¡¯t necessarily think of digital, because we are in human relations. Digital needs just to simplify life." This philosophy aligns perfectly with Club Med's broader brand identity of "L'Esprit Libre"¡ªthe free spirit that comes from disconnecting from daily worries and embracing the present moment.
¡°The more happy, qualified, staff we have in the right places, the better our ability is to craft vacations that keep guests coming back for more.¡±
Their collaborative efforts help empower employees through established systems and processes. Club Med notably promotes Resort Managers (Chefs de Village) internally, recognizing high-performing G.Os who embody the Club Med spirit, helping to pass on the iconic DNA. As Houssem, a Chef de Village who began his career as a Club Med physiotherapist, notes, "None of the Chef de Villages are recruited from outside, we've all been G.Os first. So retention and training are very important." This internal growth path provides credibility and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the job. Employees are also encouraged to explore opportunities in our offices, agencies and other resorts, fostering internal mobility.
The success of their strategies is evident in the consistently high satisfaction rates: over 90% of both staff and guests report complete satisfaction with Club Med. Brisson highlights very high employee satisfaction, with key indicators like pride and motivation significantly exceeding benchmarks based on surveys of over a million people. "The more happy, qualified, staff we have in the right places, the better our ability is to craft vacations that keep guests coming back for more,¡± she asserts.
Ultimately, Julien Denis and Sylvie Brisson work in tandem to align Club Med's digital and human strategies, fostering an environment where employees are empowered and guests can truly disconnect and create lasting memories. Their leadership helps Club Med evolve while remaining steadfastly true to its founder's timeless mantra: "The purpose of life is to be happy, the place to be happy is here, and the time to be happy is now."
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