Club Med Launches Own Loyalty Reward Program -- Finally

(MoneyWatch)  Club Med recently announced the launch of its first-ever loyalty rewards program, Club Med Great Members. I'm surprised a brand as well-known as Club Med didn't have a loyalty program before, but with just about every other hotel and resort company investing in their programs left and right, it's probably a good idea.

Club Med's new program is free to join, as are similar plans at other big-name companies. It offers three levels of membership based on the number of days spent at Club Med resorts or the amount of money spent at its properties within the last three years. Benefits include room upgrades, priority check in and late check out, and a discount on resort excursions and boutique purchases.

As the company's program grows, it will be able to better compete with other resort companies' loyalty programs, which often offer rewards outside of the companies' own properties and include air travel, retail items and concert tickets.

Before launching this program, the only loyalty points available for use at Club Med resorts came from Accor's A Club. Accor, which until 2006 owned a majority interest in Club Med, has an agreement with Club Med that allows A Club members to use points to redeem stays at Club Med properties.