Club Med – the world’s leading all-inclusive brand with more than 80 resorts worldwide – proudly launches its innovative application for the iPhone and iPad, allowing consumers to discover, share and book their ideal Club Med vacation from anywhere in the world.

The iPad application features an original 360-degree virtual tour of Club Med resorts by holding your iPad in front of you and moving it left and right as if you were walking through the property. Providing views from the over-water suites at Club Med Kani in the Maldives and the ski school at Club Med Peisey Vallandry in the French Alps to the circus trapeze at Club Med Ixtapa Pacific in Mexico and the international tennis academy at Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Florida, Club Med offers the perfect getaway at your fingertips.

“The team is excited to bring the Club Med application suite to market as it’s the most interactive way to display our resorts and immerses potential guests into the unique Club Med experience,” said Jerome Hiquet, Vice President of Marketing and Digital for Club Med North America. “Our objective was to develop the most user friendly iPad and iPhone applications that appeals to all potential and past guests.

With these apps they can discover the best of Club Med spirit wherever, whenever. As a new structural ecosystem, it’s important for Club Med to launch into the mobile space now, and to integrate mobile as a key and consistent component in our global marketing strategy to better accommodate today’s consumers in the digital space.”

Club Med collaborated with Phonevalley, a leading mobile communication agency and part of Publicis Group, to develop these user-friendly apps. ”We were enthusiastic about this opportunity to work with a brand like Club Med on this application,” said Alexandre Mars, CEO of Phonevalley. ”We were able to create a quality experience for shoppers to discover the Club Med resorts in a unique capacity much different from the standard vacation booking apps.”

Consumers can discover their dream Club Med vacation in just a few scrolls by exploring more than 80 resorts through photos, videos, descriptions and 360-degree virtual tours. The comparison function helps potential guests choose between resorts based on their personal preferences, from luxury to golf and eco-friendly to winter sports. Guests are then able to share what they like with family and friends while also planning and booking a trip.

The “Click to Call” button quickly connects consumers to an experienced Club Med travel advisor for over the phone booking. For those that can’t make up their mind, the “Shake and Escape” function allows you to shake your iPhone for destination ideas complete with sound.

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In its final ranking of the most popular ski resorts for the 2011 calendar year, SkiReports.com ranks California’s Mammoth Mountain as the most popular ski resort in North America. With a total of 99,458 Facebook fans, Mammoth beat out the other top four as follows: California’s Heavenly Mountain, British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb, Colorado Resorts Vail, and Breckenridge respectively.

Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory started as a lift ticket operator at the resort in 1978 and can now boast at being the head of the most popular resort in the world. When Mammoth became the first resort with 50,000 fans, he won a friendly wager with his Whistler Blackcomb counterpart, Intrawest CEO Bill Jensen.

Though our sources say that Gregory has yet to receive his winnings of a “spendy bottle of champagne”, he will no doubt enjoy the satisfaction of being the first resort to 100,000 fans even more.

SkiReports.com’s 10 most popular resorts:

1. Mammoth Mountain, CA (99,458 fans)
2. Heavenly Mountain, CA (93,887 fans)
3. Whistler Blackcomb, BC (87,477 fans)
4. Vail, CO (79,765 fans)
5. Breckenridge, CO (66,060 fans)
6. Jackson Hole, WY (62,088 fans)
7. Keystone, CO (56,145 fans)
8. Northstar at Tahoe, CA (49,498 fans)
9. Beaver Creek, CO (40,068 fans)
10. Mountain High, CA (39,742 fans)

At number 11 on the list, Mountain Creek in New Jersey comes in as the most popular resort on the east coast.  Only an hour’s drive from New York City, it is seven hours closer than the East Coast’s second most popular resort, Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain. Many of Sugarloaf’s followers will tell you that its remote distance from New York lends to its unique charm and loyal following.

The East Coast’s top 5 resorts are:

1. Mountain Creek, NJ (30,715 fans)
2. Sugarloaf, ME (29,283 fans)
3. Killington, VT (27,101 fans)
4. Sunday River, ME (25,388 fans)
5. Snowshoe Mountain, WV (25,061 fans)

Though there are many ways to compare mountains, SkiReports.com focuses on total Facebook fans as a metric which incorporates total visits, mountain loyalty, and effectiveness of communication between a resort and its patrons. Mammoth’s Social Media Director, Steve Krcmar, stated, “Social media facilitates two-way communication between Mammoth and our guests.

Our visitors are a passionate bunch, and our goal is to stoke them out with videos, photos, contests, and info, as well as listening to their suggestions and remedying their complaints.”

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Perhaps you are in search of a vacation location that meets that human natural need for the gratifying warmth of sun and the enchantment of serenity. If you haven’t already met, I’d like to introduce to a place called Nuevo Vallarta located in the Mexico in the state of Nayarit. As a Mexican resort residential area, Neuvo Vallarta is situated right near the better known Puerto Vallarta.

Having the amazing fortune of spending part of my winter break (December) in the beautiful site of Nuevo Vallarta I have a taste of what you may experience in this stunning location.

Neuvo Vallarta acts as a keeper of an almost endless list of hidden treasures; it’s a location wherein you sense an atmosphere of complete serenity and isolation yet the landscape and overall character of the resort town keeps one feeling warmth and comfort. That warmth is in large part due to the almost consistently present sun nonetheless, the people that manage the array of resorts and other locals offer an undeniable spirit of hospitality.

The eye-catching city can emit an atmosphere of calm and comfort within the resort areas or a large sense of bustle. A bus-ride-away, downtown Puerto Vallarta is home to busy streets and souvenirs galore while also presenting a vast display of dazzling artwork including sand sculptures along its beach shore.  By inhabiting one the many resorts in Neuvo Vallarta a traveller can easily find that balance between serenity and business.

Nuevo Vallarta is a destination  emulating that of an exquisite piece of artwork; the sand that meets the crystal-esque waters is breathtaking and looks as if gold were sprinkled across its surface.  It’s a place wherein you can venture through its nooks and crannies and discover the essence of simplicity and beauty.

While there with my family we traveled from the resort area along the shore only to find a small town with Mexican culture at its core. Bucerias is a small fishing town also located in the state of Nayarit. The charming town is home to cobblestone streets, various street vendors and an infectious community feel.

While there my family and I had the pleasure of stepping in a small candy shop and meeting the owner plus her spunky canine companion Chocolate. While sharing pleasant conversation, sampling sweet treats and playing with the owner’s dog it’s easy to feel at home in this gem of a town.  Nuevo Vallarta is located so well that entering upon places of hustle and bustle like Puerto Vallarta or places of a joyful peace, one can find it in convenience.

At the end of the day, my family and I would retreat to our resort home at The Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort and Spa. Each morning I looked forward to looking out at perfectly warm weather and daily resort events.  While big news within the resort town isn’t as frequent as it is in bigger areas, the daily resort activities from volleyball to salsa dancing classes offer different excitement each day.

Nuevo Vallarta, while quaint, has standout qualities that are difficult to go unrecognized once you meet the resort town.   So go ahead, if you haven’t met already, find your vacation time, hotel reservations, plane tickets and luggage for your trip to Nuevo Vallarta; the town is a unique treasure that is likely to delight you.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artvixn/

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