Club Med has planted more than coconut seedlings on Koh Samui. It has planted a sizeable flag in Thailand’s increasingly competitive luxury-resort market.
A traditional groundbreaking ceremony on 25 August 2026 formally marked the start of the new Club Med Exclusive Collection Koh Samui, being developed in partnership with Central Group Capital.
The ceremony blended custom with commerce. Native Samui coconut seedlings were planted to honour the island, symbolise renewal and acknowledge the landscape that will ultimately become part of the guest experience. Even in the luxury business, it seems the best beginnings still require a shovel, some soil and sensible footwear.
The milestone follows the Hotel Management Agreement the partners announced in April 2026.
(Left to Right) Jason Dunn, Managing Director, CIO, Central Capital Group; Andrew Xu, Deputy CEO & Chief Growth Officer, Club Med; Phoom Chirathivat, Managing Partner, Co-founder Central Capital Group; Rachael Harding, CEO, Southeast Asia and Pacific, Club Med; Charles Rubin, Managing Director IR, GC and Risk, Central Capital Group.
Club Med raises its Thai ambitions
Scheduled to open in the second half of 2028, the 303-room property will become Club Med’s first Exclusive Collection resort in Thailand and its second resort in the country.
Its predecessor, Club Med Phuket, opened in 1985. Four decades later, the company is preparing to return with a more polished take on the all-inclusive holiday.
The new resort will occupy a site on Koh Samui’s northern coast, approximately 25 minutes by road from Koh Samui Airport. Plans include more than 200 metres of private beachfront, upgraded guestrooms and public areas, new dining concepts, sports and leisure facilities, and Club Med’s established family programs.
Its design is expected to draw upon Thai heritage and Koh Samui’s natural character. That is encouraging news. The island hardly needs another internationally interchangeable resort that could have been dropped from the sky wearing beige linen.
Representatives from Central Capital Group and Club Med at a traditional ceremony as part of the Groundbreaking of Club Med Koh Samui
Exclusive Collection expands in Asia-Pacific
Koh Samui will become the third Exclusive Collection resort in Club Med’s East and South Asia Pacific region. The portfolio represents the company’s uppermost hospitality tier, combining the convenience of an all-inclusive stay with more refined accommodation, service and destination-led experiences.
Club Med currently operates more than 60 Premium and Exclusive Collection resorts across 25 countries. Its Exclusive Collection accounts for about 13 per cent of global capacity and includes resorts, villas, chalets, private resort spaces, and the Club Med 2 sailing yacht.
For Thailand, the development represents more than another beachfront opening. It is a vote of confidence in Koh Samui’s ability to attract affluent families and experience-driven travellers without surrendering the warmth and cultural identity that made the island famous.
For travel advisers, the project should also add a recognisable, family-friendly luxury option to Thailand’s premium all-inclusive market. That combination remains relatively uncommon in a destination better known for traditional hotel stays and standalone villas.
The commercial promise is clear, but delivery will matter. Club Med and Central Group Capital must ensure the development respects local character, supports island employment and treats environmental stewardship as more than decorative wording in a brochure.
If those foundations prove as sound as the freshly turned earth, Club Med Koh Samui could give Thailand’s luxury resort sector something worth raising a coconut to.
By: Octavia Koo – © 2026.
Read Time: 2 minutes
Author Bio:
Octavia Koo arrived in Australia in the early eighties with little fuss and a good eye. Sydney suited her. At UNSW, she studied Arts, then found her footing in graphic design before drifting, quite naturally, into the digital side of things, building websites and shaping words that made people want to stay.
Singapore followed, and with it, the fast pace of tourism platforms and ITB Asia. Long before SEO became a buzzword, Octavia understood how stories travelled online. That’s where she met Stephen, and the seed for something more was planted.
A few years later, she joined Global Travel Media.
Today, Octavia works with quiet assurance, blending art, instinct and experience to produce stories that don’t shout; they simply work and linger.
