Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Simone Biles – widely regarded as the most decorated gymnast of all time – as its first-ever Global Wellness Ambassador. The appointment, announced on 22 February, elevates Biles beyond the Group’s existing Celebrity Fan programme to an active advisory role with direct input into Mandarin Oriental’s wellness product development.
The timing is deliberate. Biles was present in Milan for the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, placing her at the centre of global sporting attention precisely as the partnership was announced. The activation launches at Mandarin Oriental, Milan, with two exclusive experiences available through end of March.
A role built for influence, not just visibility
What distinguishes this appointment from a conventional celebrity endorsement is its advisory dimension. As Global Wellness Ambassador, Biles will collaborate with Mandarin Oriental’s Wellness Board – a body of recognised specialists covering lifestyle performance, meditation, movement, nutrition and sleep – to help shape future programmes and guest experiences across the Group’s properties.
That is a notable structural commitment. Rather than lending her name to existing offerings, Biles is positioned as a contributor to their evolution, with her perspectives on recovery, mental wellbeing and holistic performance integrated into programme design.
It also marks a distinct tier within Mandarin Oriental’s longstanding Celebrity Fan framework, which has operated since 2000 and connects the Group’s symbolic fan motif with notable figures who regularly stay at its hotels. Biles becomes the first Celebrity Fan to hold an additional advisory designation – a signal that the Group is formalising wellness credibility as a strategic asset.
Mental health as brand positioning
The choice of Biles carries significance beyond athletic achievement. Since publicly withdrawing from several events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to prioritise her mental health, Biles has become one of the most visible global advocates for psychological wellbeing in sport. Her subsequent gold medal performances at Paris 2024 – following several years of therapy and recovery – reinforced her credibility as someone with lived expertise in resilience and holistic self-care.
“I’ve learned how important recovery, mental wellbeing and balance are,” Biles said in a statement released with the announcement. Mandarin Oriental’s decision to make this alignment central to its messaging reflects a calculated brand move in a market where emotional and psychological wellness is rapidly becoming as important to luxury travellers as physical treatments.
The Global Wellness Institute projects the wellness tourism market to grow from USD 720 billion in 2019 to approximately USD 1.4 trillion by 2027. Multiple research houses place the sector’s 2024 value above USD 900 billion, with CAGR estimates generally in the range of 8–10% through the end of the decade. Within that expansion, mental and holistic wellness is the fastest-growing sub-category.
Activation and early programming
To mark the launch, Mandarin Oriental, Milan is offering two experiences inspired by Biles through to the end of March. The Double-Double Glow is an immersive spa treatment combining cosmetic innovation with advanced thermal techniques targeting skin and muscular recovery. The second, the Champion Chip cookie, was developed in collaboration with the hotel’s culinary team as a nutritional expression of Biles’s approach to strength and nourishment.
The naming of both activations is a direct reference to Biles’s signature gymnastic skill – the double-double – suggesting a partnership with enough proximity to the athlete that the creative direction reflects genuine collaboration rather than templated licensing.
Implications for hospitality operators and workforce leaders
For senior hospitality leaders, the appointment highlights a broader competitive dynamic: wellness is no longer simply a spa amenity. It is becoming a strategic differentiator that influences guest acquisition, staff retention and brand positioning simultaneously.
Luxury properties investing in credentialled wellness programmes are seeing corresponding gains in average length of stay and repeat bookings. Staff working within wellness-focused environments also report higher job satisfaction, a factor increasingly relevant for hospitality operators navigating persistent talent shortages across the sector.
Mandarin Oriental’s decision to integrate an external figure with authentic wellness credibility into its product development process – rather than using celebrity association purely for marketing reach – reflects a maturity in how the Group is thinking about the category. It also raises a question that other operators will need to answer: as wellness becomes a core guest expectation rather than a premium add-on, what infrastructure exists behind the promise?
The long-term nature of the partnership, combined with Biles’s ongoing preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, suggests this is a multi-year strategic alignment rather than a short-cycle promotional campaign. Further programming announcements tied to the partnership are anticipated across Mandarin Oriental’s global portfolio.
