Passworld Set to Open at Club Med Cancun Yucatan

Several years ago, Club Med made a real splash with its debut of The Ramp at Club Med Punta Cana, a multi-million-dollar attraction targeted towards teens, a segment that often gets overlooked. While all-inclusive resorts have a great record marketing to couples, families and groups, teenagers had a tendency to fall through the cracks.  Youngsters enjoy videogames in Club Med's Passworld

Club Med, however, continues its teen focus with Passworld at Club Med Cancun Yucatan, set to open May 1. Club Med Cancun Yucatan re-opened last November after $24 million in renovations, having been reinvented as a family resort.

Twelve Club Med resorts worldwide have adopted the Passworld concept, with each location having a unique theme and atmosphere. The Ramp had a skateboarding focus, with the roof of the facility functioning as a skateboard half-pipe. The Passworld at the Club Med Cancun Yucatan will have a "car wash" theme.

Each Club Med Passworld is designed to give teenage vacationers an independent, safe environment to meet and socialize in, with tailored activities for their age group such as theater, sound mixing, jewelry making and graffiti art classes.

Club Med designates Passworld as being a separate physical space for teens to call their own. No adults can come in, except Club Med staff, known as G.O.s. While some of the activities are high-tech, some are refreshingly low-tech. Each Passworld has a mailbox section, in which each teen guest has a designated mail box. Teens can leave each other messages and photos, and in essence communicate and flirt without feeling like they're being put on the spot.

Passworld participants are supervised in two separate age groups, 11 to 13 years and 14 to 17 years. Club Med plans to eventually roll out the Passworld concept to all resorts that accommodate families. Trained and certified G.O.s supervise all organized activities. Adolescents may also socialize at Passworld during their free time when no supervised activities take place. Juniors' Club Med and Club Med Passworld are open during school holidays and when large numbers of teens are booked in the resort.

Essential Link: Club Med 800-CLUB MED, www.clubmed.us

Mexico Resorts Update

• Real Resorts Announces Agent Incentive
Real Resorts has announced a "More for 4" travel agent incentive program to promote the launch of The Royal in Cancun. This new incentive program rewards travel agents for booking by providing a $50 bonus for every four consecutive nights or more booked at the newly built, luxurious, adults-only, all-inclusive, all-suite Royal property located in the Cancun hotel zone.

Guests also receive a guaranteed one category upgrade for reservations made through June 30. This incentive is applicable on new bookings through wholesalers or bookings made directly through Real Resorts. Some restrictions may apply. E-mail [email protected] for a booking form and additional information.

• Barcelo Building Fifth Luxury Hotel


Barcelo Hotels & Resorts announced the addition of a fifth luxury hotel at its all-inclusive Barcelo Maya Beach Resort in Mexico's Riviera Maya. The all-suite Barcelo Maya Palace Hotel is scheduled to open at the end of 2007. All 756 junior guest suites will have ocean or garden views and large patios or balconies. The Barcelo Maya Beach Resort provides guests at the Barcelo Maya Palace Hotel access to 20 restaurants and bars, a new Mayan-influenced/European-style spa, a conference center that can accommodate groups of up to 1,680 guests and more than a mile of Caribbean beach. Call 800-BARCELO or visit www.barcelo.com.