CLUB Med Grand Massif Samoëns
Morillon is 70km (about an hour
and 15 minutes’ drive) from
Geneva Airport, making it appealing
to families who want to avoid longer
transfer times. Designed to blend in
harmoniously with nature, it is at an
altitude of 1 600m and overlooks the
valley, offering a panoramic view of the
surrounding mountains.
The resort has 420 rooms and three
different room types. Club rooms have
one double bed and two single beds,
making them ideal for families; deluxe
rooms have a double bed, a single
bed and a spacious lounge area;
and family suites that sleep up to
four guests, have a cosy lounge with
unbeatable views.
The town of Samoëns is in the
Haute-Savoie department in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern
France. It is the principal town
in the canton that bears its name and
is situated in the Vallée du Giffre in
the French Alps.
The Samoëns 1600 ski area is
connected to the town by a new lift,
the Grand Massif Express. The area
is also a popular summer destination
due to its fantastic cycling trails
through the Alps.
Hit the slopes!
Skiing and snowboarding
Alpine skiing, snowboarding and
the multi-snow sports programme
are included in the package
price. Experienced teachers
offer lessons for beginners,
intermediate and advanced
skiers, and snowboarders, as
well as supervision for experts.
Guests have direct access
to the slopes from the ski
equipment room. They benefit
from a lift pass that covers two
domains, namely Massif (ideal
for beginners) and Flaine (better
suited to intermediate and
advanced skiers).
Walking trails
Those who prefer not to ski
can still enjoy the snow by
participating in walks, snowshoe
walks and Nordic walking. A cable
car takes guests from the resort
down to the town of Samoëns in
the afternoons.
Rest and relaxation
Carita spa
Guests who prefer to relax or
unwind after time on the slopes –
will appreciate the spa by luxury
French skincare line Carita, which
offers an array of top-class face and
body treatments.
Packages include a three-day
package for two with four
treatments; a package for men; a
beauty package with five treatments
for head-to-toe pampering; an energy
package, ideal for recuperating
and restoring energy and vitality,
includes massages and skincare
treatments; and two-, four- and sixhour-long
customised packages.
Health and wellness facilities
For fitness enthusiasts, a fitness
centre is open 24-7, with one room
for weight training and another for
cardio training.
Pilates classes are also on offer
and, after working out, guests can
have a session in the sauna or a
soak in a Turkish bath.
Swimmers can choose between
indoor and outdoor heated pools.
The outdoor pool offers views of the
slopes and surrounding mountains,
making it the perfect place to chill
out after some time on the slopes.
What’s more, the pool areas are
completely child-friendly.
Eat, drink and be merry!
Bar
Situated beside the lobby, the main
bar welcomes guests into a warm
and friendly space with comfortable
couches and a festive ambience. It
offers all drinks that are included in
the all-inclusive package price – fruit
juices and soft drinks served by the
glass as well as hot drinks, cocktails
with and without alcohol, wines, beer,
and local and international spirits.
The bar is also stocked with
champagnes, cognacs and spirits at
an additional charge.
Certain super-premium brands
and bottled wines are available in
some of the resort’s restaurants.
Bottled and canned drinks are
available from the vending machines
around the resort.
Restaurants
The main restaurant welcomes
guests for a buffet-style meal at
breakfast, lunch and dinner. It offers
a range of local and international
specialities, with a dedicated station
for each. To cater for diners who
prioritise their health and wellness,
the restaurant also offers fresh,
healthy dishes, light meals and
gluten-free options alongside plenty
of fresh fruit and vegetables.
There are four dining rooms, each
with its own unique ambience:
La Rivière, Les Randonneurs, Les
Sommets and La Prairie with its
dedicated family space. In the
summer, guests can also choose to
sit out on the terrace.
The Skyline Gourmet Lounge is
perfect for indulging in fine food and
wine in an intimate atmosphere. With
its subtle blend of authenticity and
contemporary spirit, the warm décor
provides the ideal backdrop for great
local produce. The space adapts
to provide the very best eating
experience for every time of the
day – a gourmet picnic at lunchtime,
a comforting afternoon tea, and a
discovery dinner created by French
chef, Edouard Loubet, who has two
Michelin Stars and five Gault & Milau
Toques.
The Gourmet Lounge also boasts
its own wine cellar, which is
filled with local and international
favourites. The wine waiters will help
diners choose the perfect wine to
accompany their meal at any time of
the day.
Lastly, Bread & Co is a family
restaurant that allows children to play
‘Petits Chefs’ and invite their parents
to share dinner. In the kitchen, which
is full of surprises, parents and
children prepare their dinner together
following fun and tasty recipes on
the screens above them. The unique
experience is fully interactive and
digital. Bookings are required.
Bread & Co also serves lunch
exclusively for Petit Club Med and
Mini Club Med participants.
For the little ones
Kids’ clubs
The resort offers kids’ clubs from
four months to 17 years old. Baby
Club Med, for children between
four and 23 months old, offers
baby equipment, meals for babies
and baby-sitting services. Petit
Club Med, for children between
two and three years old, offers a
sports and play area.
Mini Club Med, for four- to
10-year-olds, has spaces and
activities tailored to each age
group and is designed especially
for this period of childhood where
holiday memories are the most
important and most colourful.
Sports, art, talent shows and
mini parties are just some of
the activities on offer. Children
between the ages of 11 and 17
have the choice of Club Med
Passworld, which allows them
to participate in activities and
access places that are specifically
designed for them.
Snow activities
In addition to kids’ facilities,
including a climbing wall, music
academy and art studio, the kids’
clubs also have a host of snow
activities on offer. These include
an introduction to snow course
(for three-year-olds and up) and
snowboard lessons (eight-yearolds
and up). Connected to the
Mini Club is also a dedicated ski
room for the children, which has
direct access to the slopes.
Book it!
Winter: From R33 835 per person sharing ex-JNB. Includes return flights; airport-hotel
transfers; seven nights’ accommodation; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, including wine,
beer and soft drinks; open bar and snacks; five-day ski school; six-day ski pass; range of
sports and leisure activities; entertainment; children’s facilities and insurance cover.
Summer: From R25 422 per person sharing ex-JNB. Includes return flights; airport-hotel
transfers; seven nights’ accommodation; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily including
wine, beer and soft drinks; open bar and snacks; range of sports and leisure activities;
entertainment; children’s facilities and insurance cover.
How to become compliant
WHILE the Payment Card
Industry Security Standards
Council (PCI SSC) is
responsible for managing data
security standards, each payment
card brand maintains its own separate
compliance enforcement programmes.
As a first step, TMCs must contact
their acquirer/payment card brand for
requirements on compliance validation
and reporting, such as provisions for
performing self-assessments and
when to engage a Qualified Security
Auditor (QSA).
Richard Henwood, business
development of QSA Foregenix,
says his company advises agents
to appoint someone who remains in
charge of compliance as it’s not a
once-off procedure.
Understanding my agency’s merchant level
All travel agency businesses will fall
into one of the four merchant levels
based on Visa transaction volume
over a 12-month period.
Transaction volume is based
on the aggregate number of Visa
transactions (inclusive of credit,
debit and prepaid) from a merchant
Doing Business As (DBA).
Listed in the table below are the
merchant level criteria for Visa and
MasterCard.
Although there are technically
three other major payment brands
(American Express, Discover and
JCB), Iata says compliance with the
two noted brands generally covers
the others:
Level Description
1 Any merchant — regardless of acceptance channel — processing over 6m
Visa transactions per year. Any merchant that Visa, at its sole discretion,
determines should meet the Level 1 merchant requirements to minimise risk
to the Visa system.
2 Any merchant — regardless of acceptance channel — processing 1m to 6m
Visa transactions per year.
3 Any merchant processing 20 000 to 1m Visa e-commerce transactions per
year.
4 Any merchant processing fewer than 20 000 Visa e-commerce transactions
per year, and all other merchants — regardless of acceptance channel —
processing up to 1m Visa transactions per year.
Compliance validation requirements
The type of documentation required
to prove compliance is dependent
on several factors, says Andrew
Kirkland, ceo of QSA, CyberTAN,
including the size of the agency,
the manner in which payments are
processed – whether cards are
physically onsite or not – and the
number of credit cards processed
annually. “Many agents in South
Africa fall into the 3-4 merchant
level. L1 is the most complex and
L4 the least complex,” says Andrew.
The table in the next column
represents the basic validation
requirements of each level.
Level Validation action Validated by
1 Annual on-site PCI Data Security
Assessment and quarterly network
scan
QSA or internal audit (if signed by officer
of the company
Approved scanning vendor (ASV)
2 Annual PCI self-assessment
questionnaire (SAQ) and quarterly
network scan
Merchant
Approved scanning vendor
3 Annual PCI SAQ and quarterly
network scan
Merchant
Approved scanning vendor
4 Annual PCI SAQ and quarterly
network scan (if applicable)
Merchant
Approved scanning vendor
In cases where TMCs have more than
one DBA, TMCs need not fill in an SAQ
per individual Iata number but can do
it jointly for all those points of sale for
which the head office has full financial
responsibility, Iata says.
A completed Attestation of
Compliance (AOC) found in the SAQ
tool, the SAQ and, if applicable, a
passing vulnerability scan, must be
submitted to the agency’s acquirer to
prove compliance. “Iata will accept the
evidence of compliance as long as it is
properly certified by the eligible partner
of PCI SSC, depending on the level of
compliance that your agency falls into,”
says Janaurieu D'Sa, area manager,
Southern Africa of Iata.
How long is the process?
Andrew says his company helps L3-4
merchants reach compliance within
two to three months. “But this can go
faster if there is commitment from the
agency. Levels 1-2 have, on average, in
South Africa taken between three and
five years to comply due to the nature
of their business and size.”
The CCCF conundrum
Richard says one of the biggest
shortcomings travel agents face
with PCI DSS is how TMCs store
cardholder data.
This is particularly so when it
comes to Credit Card Charge
Forms (CCCFs) in card-not-present
transactions. “There is a common
misconception that PCI DSS
compliance demands the end of
the signed manual imprint (CCCF),”
says Janaurieu. He says PCI DSS
does not forbid storing the card
number in a paper (or electronic)
form, it only requires that storage
be conducted securely.
PCI DSS compliance steps in a nutshell
Determine which SAQ your business
should use to validate compliance.
Iata advises you to contact your
payment card brand to determine
which will suit your business.
Complete the SAQ on the PCI DSS
website.
Complete and obtain evidence
of a passing vulnerability scan (if
required) with a PCI SSC ASV.
Complete the Attestation of
Compliance (located in the SAQ tool).
Submit the SAQ, evidence of a
passing scan (if applicable), and the
AOC, along with any other requested
documentation, to your acquirer. The
same documentation will be required
by Iata as of March 1.
Travelport support/GDS help for agents
In December 2017, Travelport made
its online PCI DSS certification
referral programme available to all
Iata agencies. With the help of its
PCI partner SecurityMetrics, level
three and four category merchants
processing fewer than a million card
transactions annually, can use the
online Wizard Tool (provided by the
programme) to guide them through
the SAQ process and enable them to
obtain PCI DSS certification
