Club Med breaks ground on first Exclusive Collection resort in Thailand

Thailand

New Koh Samui property will become Club Med’s second resort in Thailand as the group accelerates its international expansion

Club Med has officially started work on its new resort on Koh Samui, marking the next stage of its expansion in Thailand. A groundbreaking ceremony for Club Med Koh Samui was held on 25 August 2026 together with Central Capital Group, following the signing of a hotel management agreement earlier this year.

The new property will join Club Med’s Exclusive Collection, the company’s upscale resort portfolio. It will be the first resort of this category in Thailand and the third Exclusive Collection property in the East and South Asia and Pacific region.

A second Club Med resort in Thailand

Club Med Koh Samui will also become the group’s second property in Thailand. Its existing Club Med Phuket resort opened in 1985 and has now been operating for more than four decades.

The groundbreaking included a traditional ceremony and the symbolic planting of native Samui coconut seedlings, intended to reflect the resort’s connection with the island and mark the beginning of construction.

Representatives of Club Med and Central Capital Group attended the ceremony, including Rachael Harding, CEO Southeast Asia and Pacific at Club Med, Deputy CEO and Chief Growth Officer Andrew Xu and Central Capital Group co-founder and Managing Partner Phoom Chirathivat.

Exclusive Collection expands in Asia-Pacific

The Koh Samui development forms part of Club Med’s strategy to expand its higher-end portfolio following the completion of a global upgrade programme in 2024.

Since then, the group has shifted its attention towards developing new Premium All-Inclusive and Exclusive Collection resorts in destinations around the world.

The Exclusive Collection represents the upper end of Club Med’s portfolio and includes resorts and accommodation concepts aimed at travellers seeking a more exclusive version of the company’s all-inclusive model.

Club Med targets major global expansion

Club Med aims to double the number of resorts in its global portfolio by 2030. Several new properties are already contributing to that expansion.

Club Med South Africa opened in July 2026, while a new beachfront resort in Borneo at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, is scheduled to open towards the end of this year.

Further projects are planned in Canada, Italy, Oman and Indonesia over the coming years. The development on Koh Samui adds another Asian destination to this pipeline while strengthening Club Med’s presence in Thailand more than 40 years after the company first entered the country.