Ask Aziz Ait Itto what he likes best about his job as general manager of Club Med Cancun Yucatan and he doesn't hesitate with an answer: It's entertaining guests. "To be able to entertain people, to give them this pleasure - this is really the best part," he said.
Put in Club Med lingo, Ait Itto serves as chief of the village, overseeing all aspects of the resort's operations, as well as the property's international cadre of 120 Gentils Organisateurs (GOs), or gracious organizers, who keep guests company, dining with them, teaching them about the wide variety of sporting options available, and entertaining them during the evening shows.
Ait Itto directs and emcees these shows, and also performs in them. "Club Med gives us opportunities to do so many things - to sing, dance, to do comedy," he said, adding that he finds it rewarding to watch the GOs blossom as performers. "We discover their talents," he said. "Some people discover they can sing, while others discover they can dance."
In his 24 years with Club Med, Ait Itto has traveled the world, working at resorts in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Morocco. He started his Club Med career in his native Morocco, where he worked with kids as a Mini Club GO. He speaks Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Early on in his Club Med career, Ait Itto met the French-born woman who later became his wife - and who also worked for the company as a GO.
The couple are now the parents of two girls, a three-year-old born in Mauritius, and a six-month-old who was born in Cancun. "My three-year-old speaks French, Spanish and English," he said. "I think she speaks better Spanish than me. It's amazing."
The children will soon have the chance to learn Turkish, when the family relocates to Turkey later this year, so that Ait Itto can assume the position of chief of the village at Club Med Palmiye.
Now that Ait Itto and his wife are parents, deciding where they move is more of a deliberate process, Ait Itto said. These days, they are concerned that new destinations are equipped with decent schools, hospitals and child-friendly activities.
Saying good-bye to the Cancun resort won't be easy, Ait Itto said. "I love it," 'he said. "It's beautiful."
Nonetheless, Itto said he is always ready to explore new destinations. "One of the best things about my job is working in some of the best locations in the world"
He will leave at a time when Club Med Cancun Yucatan has never been in better shape, having just undergone a $14 million renovation, which included the addition of 60 new accommodations tailor-made for families; the property's first a la carte restaurant, La Estancia; the Maya Lounge, combining a bar, lounge and nightclub; a Petit Club for two and three year olds; and a renovated Las Cazuelas buffet restaurant.
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