Club Med Moves from Defense to Offense with Appointment of Patrick Mitchell as Vice President of Sales

MIAMI, Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Club Med – the original all-inclusive resort company – is proud to announce today the appointment of Patrick Mitchell as Vice President of Sales for the North American Zone as part of a continued growth strategy for the brand. Following the events of 9/11, Club Med North America, along with the rest of the travel industry, suffered major financial consequences. It was a moment of reflection and Club Med made the decision to move forward with a major repositioning and multimillion dollar product investment that had been planned. The new focus on family upscale vacations proved to be successful with continued annual growth in profitability and customer satisfaction. Today, the brand is ready to reclaim its position as the leader in all-inclusive vacations.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110815/CL52367-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110815/CL52367-b )

Such achievements have been recognized globally with the appointment of Xavier Mufraggi, CEO of Club Med North America, to the worldwide Board of Directors (Comite de Direction General). Mufraggi joined Club Med in 2005 after six years in Sales and Marketing for Kraft Foods in Europe. Xavier was quickly promoted to Vice President of Marketing for North America, and shortly afterwards to CEO of the Business Unit in 2008. His role on the CDG confirms the importance of the US market to the success of the global organization and the confidence in the new strategy to move from defensive to offensive mode.

Along with Mufraggi's recent appointment, Club Med strengthens the executive team with the addition of Patrick Mitchell as Vice President of Sales. With more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Patrick Mitchell has most recently held the position as Vice President of Global Sales Strategy and Planning at Norwegian Cruise Line. Previously, Mitchell held various positions at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line including Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Sales, Vice President of National Accounts, Associate Vice President of Field Sales and Associate Vice President of Marketing Services. Mitchell brings extensive expertise in strategic planning, development of sales planning methodologies and an impressive track record of growth of new sales distribution channels including a focus on developing the meeting and incentive market. Mitchell obtained his MBA from Yale University.

"I am extremely pleased to welcome this high-caliber executive to our team," Xavier Mufraggi, CEO of Club Med North America, said. "Mitchell will bring expertise in strategic planning, traditional and online travel agent networks and successful development of new distribution channels to our business unit. His skills fit well with our experienced management team and allow us to leverage the strength of our sales, marketing and internet teams to continue to grow our business."

Club Med's most notable achievement is the investment of 110+ million dollars in its North American Zone properties, which includes the successful re-launch of Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Club Med Sandpiper Bay has exceeded expectations in Fiscal Year 2011 performance. In Winter 2011 the village delivered 47% more bookings and 65% more sales then it achieved in Winter 2010. The trend has continued through Summer 2011 as we see Sandpiper Bay generating 39% more bookings and 87% more sales on a year-to-date basis against Summer 2010. In addition to being the only all-inclusive family resort in the U.S., the 216-acre renovated Sandpiper Bay is the flagship of Club Med "premium sports" resorts. With the innovation of the Club Med Academies, Sandpiper Bay offers a new product with a world-class training environment in tennis, golf and fitness with coaching from renowned experts in the sports industry including Gabe Jaramillo, who trained the likes of Agassi and Seles; Brad Brewer, host of Golf Channel's Daily Brew; and professional tri-athlete and five-time Ironman Champion Heather Gollnick.

For more information, visit www.clubmed.us or call 1-800-ClubMed. For an insider look at the Club Med offerings, visit our social media site at www.ClubMedInsider.com. Follow ClubMedOfficial on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

SOURCE Club Med