Club Med crowd-sources its newest ski resort

All-inclusive giant asks the public to contribute to its Alpine flagship

Join the Club: Val Thorens Sensations

Is crowd-sourcing the way to design the perfect hotel? Club Med certainly thinks so.

A cat cafe, 3D doodles and a £69 DIY micro-laptop are some of the quirkier success stories that have seen mass cash contributions bring fledgling ideas to the market.

Now, French premium all-inclusive giant Club Med – which operates 71 resorts in 25 countries – is asking for contributions towards its latest “village” in the Alps. Located in the Trois Vallées, the hotel is set to open in December and has already been named by the general public, which decided on a rather unsensational “Val Thorens Sensations”.

Instead of asking for a collective parting of cash, Club Med wants the public to contribute to the hotel’s design. Voting is taking place in eight rounds via a Facebook app, covering such bases as interior design, activities and dress code. If modern technology – turning the lights off or TV on – and over-designed hotel rooms – a bath next to the bed, or a loo on view – make you homesick, then now’s the time to get voting. And perhaps other hoteliers will follow suit.

Club Med has high hopes for its newest property, which will be its flagship snow destination. The corporation has been focusing on an upscale repositioning in the last decade, and the location of its newest hotel is an ambitious one. Europe’s highest ski resort, Val Thorens was voted the “World's Best Ski Resort” and “France's Best Ski Resort” at the World Ski Awards last year. It has also welcomed a clutch of smart new hotels and fine dining restaurants, such as Altapura and Koh-i-Nor, where soothing sports treatments are offered in the spa, rooms come with Mac Mini TVs, mood lighting is automated and side orders in the restaurant include grated black truffle (€21 for 5g). Whether any such options will be offered by Club Med will be revealed over the coming months. Voting closes on 1 May.