Saint-Martin is no longer a priority for Club Med

In 2014, Club Med announced its ambition to establish new villages in the Caribbean, precisely in the Northern islands. A message in that regard was broadcast in the local media in Saint-Martin: "The group would like to find 15-ha plots of land. A wide area for installing the entire infrastructure and which would provide a private access to a sandy beach of about 500 meters long. The land should also allow for building rooms with a view on the sea", explained the group in its message.

A few days later, two Club Med representatives came to meet with interested landowners. In less than forty-eight hours, 20 proposals were made regarding Saint-Martin, Sint Maarten, St Barths and Anguilla.

Xavier Mufraggi, Club Med Director for North America, then explained that, for the sake of efficiency, the strategy of the group consisted in actually going to and assessing the site before developing the village project. The project is designed in particular according to the geography and social constraints of the site. It’s easier that way to estimate and control costs.

Xavier Mufraggi explained that many parameters were taken into account at this stage of the reflection, like the cost of labor, electricity, water, etc., but also and above all the politicians’ and local population’s willingness to have a village established in their territory.

Saint-Martin seemed to meet a number of criteria. Interesting places had indeed been identified, which is what the landowners had understood. Therefore, they jacked up the prices. And by being too greedy, they ended up by annoying Club Med. The Group was able to quickly find other sites that are just as attractive and interesting at operational costs which are significantly more competitive. According to our sources, new projects have therefore been budgeted  elsewhere.