Club Med's Newest All-inclusive Ski Resort Opens in the French Alps This Week — Here's a Look Inside

As I sat still in my ski gear, beer in hand, listening to a live band play Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now," I reveled in the ultimate après-ski experience. The best part? It was all-inclusive.

The day before this moment of bliss, I checked into Club Med Tignes, in the French Alps, to get a first look at the company’s newest all-inclusive ski resort, which officially opens to guests on Dec. 4. The 430-room hotel sits in a pristine valley surrounded by towering mountains, which guests can peek at through the many picture windows around the property.

Club Med isn't exactly new to the area. In fact, it first opened in Tignes in 1958. However, in 2020, the company decided it was time for a revamp. So, it shut down its existing property and built a completely new resort. And now, the all-new Tignes property joins more than a dozen other Club Med hotels sprinkled across the Alps.

“What we're trying to do is to keep the influence of the region. It’s alpine, but modern alpine,” Carolyne Doyon, a regional president and CEO at Club Med, shared as we sat at one of the many seating areas in the lobby. “One of the things that we do when we build or renovate one of our resorts is we try not to disturb our surroundings.”

And that's a good thing, because those surroundings are breathtaking. Mountain views loomed over every space from the front lobby to the bar, where warm tea welcomes chilled skiers in the afternoon and where the party really kicks off after dusk.

That said, the views are best experienced on piste.

As I carved my way along Piste Henri, enjoying just a tiny part of the massive mountain, I drank in the views of the craggy cliffs jutting out from dramatic angles and the seemingly endless panoramic view of the mountaintops all around.

My group stopped at the top after coming off the Bollin lift, pausing to take a few photos to remember this perfect day. Even my guide with the French ESF ski school, Louis Nolan, couldn’t help but admire the view — and he’d been working there for about 20 years.

“When you've been doing seasons as long as I have, you do appreciate those days where it's complete bluebird, and you've had loads of snow in the past 48 hours. It's just brilliant,” Nolan said, basking in the sunshine blanketing the Alps. “It's nice to see smiles on everybody's faces and all the instructors as well.” 

The ski resort features a good mix of terrain for all abilities across its 154 runs. Though you don't need to come in as a pro, because every guest receives twice-daily group ski lessons included with their stay, which are offered in the morning and afternoon, grouped by skill level. (Private lessons are available at an extra cost.)

When I was ready to pack it in for the day, I headed to the hotel’s ski-in, ski-out locker room, where each guest has a dedicated locker complete with boot warmers for overnight storage. The locker opened with my wristband — the same one I used as my room key — and I was able to leave the equipment in there to be collected at the end of my stay, making it all unquestionably convenient.  

“It's a one-stop shop,” Doyon said. “We do everything for you.”

Next stop was the spa, which offers 20-minute leg or back massages to quickly combat sore ski muscles before heading to the bar for après, which I did promptly after my rubdown. There, I sipped a Kronenbourg 1664 beer and chatted with my fellow skiers and riders before dinner.

The hotel has two restaurants to choose from, including a buffet-style spot and a seated, gourmet restaurant. I headed to the buffet, where each station was more delicious than the last — and where the nightly desserts were too good to pass up.

The mountain may be made for skiing, but that's not the only thing on offer. Those not looking to ski or in need of an off-day can head to the resort's 25-meter-long pool (the company’s largest in the Alps) for a dip, work up a sweat in the fitness classes with (included) classes like yoga and spinning, or simply enjoy one of the many quiet spaces to read a book while looking out onto the mountains.

This isn't Club Med's only new offering of late, either. The all-inclusive giant also opened its first-ever ski resort in Canada last year and has plans to open another spot in Utah by 2025.

After a few days of taking endless mountain photos, eating (too many) sweets, and lapping run after run, I'm more convinced than ever that skiers and riders will adore the all-inclusive lifestyle — for the skiing and the après.