Club Med provides luxury all-inclusive vacations in global locations, with a focus on delivering personalized experiences through a diverse international staff. They prioritize both guest and employee happiness, using digital tools to optimize staffing and streamline services.
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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.
“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
HR Director, Club Med
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.”
Julien Denis
VP Transformation
Club Med
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"—the 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.”
Sylvie Brisson
HR Director
Club Med
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."
Emily Faracca: The future of hospitality is a delicate balancing act: how do you leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance efficiency and personalization, without sacrificing the essential human touch that makes travel so special?
Welcome to the Future of Work Podcast.
Today, we're diving into the world of premium vacations with Club Med, a company renowned for its unique blend of hospitality and human connection. For 75 years, Club Med has been a leader in creating unforgettable getaways, boasting nearly 70 resorts across 40 countries and employing around 75,000 people every year.
Sylvie Brisson: Club Med is a company with 75 years of history. We have almost 70 resorts all over the world. We are present in 40 countries…on all the continents. And we are employing around 75,000 people every year, GOs and GEs, more than 100 nationalities working at Club Med, mainly in resorts.
Faracca: That was Sylvie Brisson, CHRO at Club Med, giving us a glimpse into Club Med's impressive global presence. But what’s the secret to their enduring success? Let’s hear from Julien Denis, Club Med’s VP of HR Digital Transformation, on the company’s core philosophy.
Julien Denis: The purpose of life is to be happy, the place to be happy is here, and the time to be happy is now. These are the words that were uttered 75 years ago by Gérard Blitz, the co-founder of Club Med, and as always we still abide by today.
Faracca: The purpose of life is to be happy, the place to be happy is here, and the time to be happy is now. A powerful statement that encapsulates the Club Med spirit. But in today's digital age, how does a company so focused on human interaction integrate technology without losing that essential touch? That's the challenge we'll be exploring today.
Faracca: Club Med's business model is, at its heart, about human interaction. This focus creates a unique challenge: how do you introduce digital tools without disrupting the personal connections that define the Club Med experience? Workday’s Vice President of Field Sales Hubert Cotté sheds light on this delicate balance.
Hubert Cotté: One of the challenges that we met at Club Med is that we had to put digital into one of the most human interaction based business models. For me, the ultimate goal was to be a technology that people forget while changing their life at the same time. And so I think this is how we worked very deeply on the Club Med team to be like the most impactful, invisible technology.
Faracca: The most impactful, invisible technology. That’s a key concept here. It's about making technology a seamless part of the experience, something that enhances rather than detracts from human connection. Sylvie elaborates on the unique “l'Esprit Libre” or "Club Med spirit" and how it fosters genuine relationships.
Brisson: Well, we used to say, and we believe that, Club Med is definitely unique for its culture and its ... What we call Club Med spirit. By Club Med spirit, we mean that when you enter a resort, when you connect with the teams, you find something around genuine relation. The fact that you immediately connect, the guests and the teams connect. You spend all your day with the teams at the bar, at the restaurant, at the night, but as well during the activities and the goes, which ... Who take care of your kids at the mini club, for example, or who give you lessons of tennis. You can have a drink with them, a lunch or a dinner with them. It's definitely a human relationship, which is at the heart of the culture and the uniqueness, and the impact of all the guests definitely during their experience at Club Med is definitely this one.
Faracca: It's clear that these human connections are fundamental to the Club Med experience. But to fully understand the Club Med experience, it's important to know about their unique staff. Club Med has a special terminology for its employees. You'll often hear them refer to G.Os and G.Es. G.O. stands for 'Gentle Organizer,' and it refers to the resort staff whose primary mission is to make guests' vacations truly special.
They're the heart and soul of the Club Med experience, organizing activities and embodying the Club Med spirit. This spirit is all about kindness, freedom, responsibility, a pioneering attitude, and celebrating multiculturalism. G.Es, or 'Gentle Employees,' is another term for Club Med employees, especially those working in areas like hotels, restaurants, and maintenance. The interactions between guests and the "GOs" and "GEs" are what make it truly special.
Faracca: To support this global operation and maintain its high standards, Club Med has embraced digital transformation, particularly through its use of the Workday HR suite. This wasn’t just about adding technology for the sake of it, but about being empathetic to the needs of their employees.
Denis: Well, deploying technology for humans means being empathic of what humans need in this fast technological paced environment. And people are not engineers. Humans need technology to lift weight out their hands and not burden them even more.
Faracca: Exactly. Technology should "lift weight out of their hands and not burden them even more." Sylvie explains how strategic digitalization plays a crucial role in supporting Club Med’s growth while staying true to its human-centric values.
Brisson: So the impact of digitalization on our teams and as well the impact of digitalization of our guests, it's a very important topic at Club Med because as I mentioned, we are in a human product. We are in a human company. So naturally, genuinely, when you think at Club Med, you don't necessarily think at digital, because we are in a human relation. And so very quickly, more than 10 years ago, we identified that digital needs just to simplify life, simplify the life of our guests, and simplify the life of our teams. And that's why in results, you have for years now a bracelet helping you to open the door of your room to pay for the extra you want to buy. And that's the reason why when we decided to go for Workday at Club Med, we decided to rework all the paths of the employees at Club Med, starting from being a candidate, being recruited, my experience at Club Med, and being an ambassador afterwards. So we worked this path and looked at each point on which I can simplify the life. So for us, definitely digital means simplify the life."
Faracca: So, for Club Med, any digitalization should “simplify life" – for both guests and teams. And it's not just about internal processes; it directly enhances the guest experience. Sylvie gives us some great examples.
Brisson: The digital can improve the experience of the guest at Club Med because you spend less time on what can be eased for you. For example, I mentioned already, open the door of your room. But as well, before you stay at Club Med, you can record in your app, lots of information which help your check-in, but not only your check-in. For example, we are in winter. In winter season, when you go to a snow resort, you need ski and all-inclusive product at Club Med, everything is included. So you can record before your stay, your size, your weight, your age. And when you arrive at Club Med, in your locker, you have already your ski waiting for you. And you don't have to wait when you arrive for long queue. Like everybody knows when you don't go at Club Med, you have to queue on Saturday or on Sunday to go to have your ski. At Club Med, you go and it's immediately in your locker when you arrive. That's only an example of how digital can ease your life.
Faracca: From room access to pre-arrival information for activities like skiing, digital tools are streamlining the guest experience, allowing staff to focus on providing that exceptional service Club Med is known for.
Faracca: Of course, a great guest experience starts with a positive employee experience. Club Med recognizes this and uses Workday to optimize staffing, develop employee skills, and boost overall engagement. Let's revisit Hubert's perspective on making technology impactful yet "invisible."
Cotté: For me, the ultimate goal was to be a technology that people forget while changing their life at the same time. How do we connect with the employee in a very, I would say, premium way, and sticking to our values while not interfering in the way people operate. We are putting technology in villages where the first asset…for Club Med is to provide human experiences. And so…the requirements was just put your technology in people's hands, make their life easier. Don't bring complexity and just make every single interaction a very valuable one.
Faracca: And Julien highlights how digitalization has provided greater consistency and a global overview of their processes, enabling continuous improvement across all their resorts.
Denis: Well, the major impact that this digitalization had was the ability for us to encompass all our process in all our villages in a very consistent manner, and to have a global overview on these in order to do continuous improvement.
Faracca: Ultimately, it's about connecting with employees in a premium way, respecting their work, and making every interaction valuable.
Faracca: Looking ahead, Club Med is exploring the potential of AI to further enhance both the employee and guest experience. Hubert outlines the three key ways AI will provide value.
Cotté: I think there are three different things that AI will provide to company like Club Med. The first one is automate business processes, so we will make the processes even more fluid and even more smooth. The second one is how do we augment data and bring more intelligence in our system to help Club Med take the right decision for the future and for the business? And the third part of AI, I would say value proposition, is how do we personalize more, the interaction between the employee and Workday, so from a user experience point of view?
Faracca: From automating processes to augmenting data for better decision-making and personalizing user experiences, AI is poised to play a significant role. Sylvie gives us a specific example of how they're using AI with Workday.
Brisson: We started with AI and with the help of Workday as well on what we call G.O. Match, which is how to first try to automatize what we call the assignments, because at Club Med we assign around 40,000 people every year, which is a lot.
Faracca: With 40,000 people assigned every year, that’s a huge efficiency gain. To close, Hubert shares his thoughts on the future of successful businesses.
Cotté: I think the future of successful businesses is how do we reinvent ourselves, adapt to the new world without completely forgetting who we are in terms of identity, culture and values?
Faracca: Reinventing ourselves, adapting to the new world without completely forgetting who we are." A powerful message that resonates far beyond the hospitality industry.
Club Med's story is a compelling example of how technology, when implemented thoughtfully, can enhance human connection and drive long-term success. By prioritizing empathy, focusing on simplification, and embracing innovation, Club Med is one of the leaders shaping the future of hospitality.
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