Club of Foreign Residents of Monaco: aristocratic and homelike atmosphere.
Nowadays, Monaco's Residents are wealthy people who have chosen the tiny territory of the Principality as the place to settle, where wellbeing and exclusivity are served on a plate of silver. However, everyone who is looking for cosiness and comfort is welcomed here.
Monaco residents usually go to the same events and restaurants, they like the legendary American Bar or Cafe des Paris.
Whoever is seeking for privacy and connecting with new people, can join such the exclusive Club of Foreign Residents of Monaco.
iPremium Lifestyle interviewed Chris Dhondt, CEO of this unique Club asking about its history, how to join it, and what privileges are offered to club members.
iPremium Lifestyle: What originally inspired the creation of CREM?
Chris Dhondt: CREM – Club des Résidents Etrangers de Monaco – was founded by Louisette Azzoaglio Levy-Soussan, the personal assistant of H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco, and opened its doors the 1st June 2010, with the support of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco with the generous contribution of Sir. David and Sir. Frederick Barclay, as well as many other benefactors.
CREM aims at offering “a second home” to new residents in the Principality. Being aware of the difficulties which everyone can face when moving to a new city or country, Louisette Azzoaglio Levy-Soussan launched CREM, ten years ago.
iPremium Lifestyle: How many members of CREM are there?
Chris Dhondt: Today we count more than 450 members from 50 nationalities. Considering that our members are not only individuals or couples, but also companies. In fact, you can apply to CREM as a corporate body and take advantage of certain benefits.
iPremium Lifestyle: How to become a member of the Club?
Chris Dhondt: To become a member, the applicant must be of legal age and be a resident in the Principality. An application form must be filled in for submission to CREM Admission Committee. Once validated, you are requested to pay a joining fee, together with an annual subscription – as an individual or a company membership.
iPremium Lifestyle: Are there notable members?
Chris Dhondt: We do have some VIP members that are coming from different backgrounds – notably from politics to the fashion industry. What they value most is our confidentiality and discretion. In our Clubhouse, our members feel like being at home. We let them express themselves or participate to our events where they can network genuinely, share their passions and create some loyal bonds without any social pressure.
iPremium Lifestyle: What are the major benefits for CREM members?
Chris Dhondt: Joining the Club not only allows you to build a network but also to meet international figures who share common values and interests in art, culture, travel, economy or gastronomy. Our weekly activities help fostering exchange and liaisons with our members. Meetings are various, from conferences, to lunches, to private visits and concerts. We also provide a ticket office for performances given by the Orchestre Philarmonique de Monte-Carlo - OPMC, the Ballets of Monte-Carlo and the Opera.
Furthermore, we have made numerous agreements in ten years with some of the most renowned local and international partners who are now offering special prices to our members. Also, we feel lucky enough to have a 220 m2 Clubhouse where members can freely access enjoying a drink, just relaxing or having personal and professional meetings. You can book the club for private use upon request and benefit from the latest hi-tech equipment to provide the maximum comfort and best professional services to all our members.
iPremium Lifestyle: What are your wishes for the upcoming year?
Chris Dhondt: We have a lot of hope for the upcoming year. After this difficult time, we are ready to organize spectacular events, including some unique celebrations such as our anniversary. Also the Members’ cocktails and much more, that we could not plan this year. We feel people have the need to rediscover their everyday social life. In these occasions, we usually have the honour to welcome Monseigneur as a special guest. Therefore, we are ready and we are looking forward for the new year to come.
iPremium Lifestyle: How was the impact of COVID-19 crisis?
Chris Dhondt: As everyone else, we suffered some repercussions due to Covid-19 pandemic. After the lockdown, we had to find new ways to attract our Members and adapt our events to the new situation. We were used to organize a lot of meetings in our cozy Clubhouse, but due to the sanitary restrictions we have been increasingly organizing outdoors activities such as lunches, workshops and outside drinks. We plunged ourselves into the technological world and now we are also proud to propose conferences and interactive talks via Zoom and Social Media. We do believe that people are willing to meet each other and share experiences, and we are pleased to see an increase in our membership, particularly among the youngest generation.
iPremium Lifestyle: Many initiatives promoted by CREM are addressing important social issues, from politics to women empowerment. Why this choice?
Chris Dhondt: Working as a team, we are always listening to our members so we develop our activities around their interests and what offered by our collaborators. Subjects as politics and women empowerment are currently considered as important topics our members normally wish to talk about. Thus, we are honoured to debate on such relevant social matters.
iPremium Lifestyle: What are your key events for the next year?
Chris Dhondt: We have plenty of initiatives planned for 2021 since we really want to stay active and keep up with the fast pace of action. First of all, we foresee a ski weekend to Courchevel by a private jet earlier next year and a weekend in St Tropez. Moreover, we wish to organize a visit in Dubai for the world exhibition by the end of the year. We are also planning some internal changes between our website and the Clubhouse. But we cannot spoil everything, otherwise there will be no surprise effect, so keep following us to discover all of them!
