New owners of Port St. Lucie Club Med property not planning to close, will keep employees
PORT ST. LUCIE — The future owner of the Club Med resort in Port St. Lucie said it expects a seamless transition in September with no break in operations.
What's up in the air is what they'll call the place after the $55 million purchase goes through.
"While it will no longer bear the Club Med name, we are excited to see the resort develop and thrive as Altitude's worldwide destination headquarters," said Altitude International Holdings CEO Greg Breunich.
Previous story: Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie to close in September, nixing 226 jobs
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Last week, state officials released a statement about Club Med Sandpiper Bay announcing the pending sale of the property. The closure of the operations by Club Med required the state to be notified about the number of employees — 226 — who would be laid off by Club Med in early September. The luxury all-inclusive resort opened in 1986 on 213 acres of land.
Club Med would not comment last week about the sale or any plans after the sale. Altitude confirmed it would be the new owner but did not comment about its plans for the property beyond running its athletic academy there.
This week, CEO Greg Bruenich in a statement confirmed the property will continue as a resort "without interim closure." He said reservations beyond Club Med's exit will be honored and that he'll retain current employees.
"The present team of Club Med employees are an incredible asset to the property, comprising many years of experience, and soon will have opportunity to transition to working with the Altitude team post-closing," Breunich said in the statement.
The $55 million sale is expected to close at the end of July.
"Altitude's long-term vision for this project is to incorporate and fully integrate the resort hotel operation and its existing sports academy with a comprehensive real estate development strategy globally recognized as a world-class hub for both hospitality and sports development opportunities," the company said in its statement.
Altitude also announced some renovation plans for the property, but nothing specific. Sandpiper Bay features a 335-room waterfront hotel, a golf course and driving range, tennis and pickleball courts, volleyball courts, soccer fields and a marina on the St. Lucie River.
Monday, some employees said they still weren't sure about their futures after Club Med leaves Sandpiper Bay.
Veronica Valdes, who has worked at Club Med for three years, received the 60-day notice letter informing employees of the closing. They were given the option to work at another Club Med location in another country. Sandpiper Bay is the only Club Med resort in the United States
“They (Club Med) don’t know what the hotel is going to be called, they don’t know if (Altitude Holdings) is going to give us employment,” Valdes said in Spanish. “They are going to try to get us employment with the other company, according to the union.”
Some Club Med employees live at the resorts and a portion of their paycheck is used to cover their boarding, according to Valdes.
Lamaur Stancil is the Treasure Coast regional economy reporter covering business and industries, including retail, tourism and hospitality. Contact him at 321-987-7179 or lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com and follow him at Lamaur Stancil on Facebook and @TCPalmLStancil on Twitter.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm's underserved communities reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com or at (772) 409-1429.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie Club Med property will stay open and get a new name
