Mandarin Oriental has appointed Simone Biles as its first-ever Global Wellness Ambassador, marking a new direction for the luxury hotel group’s approach to wellbeing. The long-term collaboration between Simone Biles and Mandarin Oriental positions the brand’s wellness offering around the principles of mental health, physical recovery, and balance, areas Biles has spoken openly about throughout her career as an elite gymnast.
What the Simone Biles and Mandarin Oriental partnership involves
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In her new role, Biles will work alongside Mandarin Oriental’s Wellness Board, contributing to the development of future programmes and experiences across the group’s global portfolio. The board brings together specialists in lifestyle performance, meditation, movement, nutrition and sleep, and Biles will feed her own experience as a high-performance athlete into that wider conversation. She will also take part in campaign activations and the creation of new wellness initiatives across the brand’s properties, which currently span 45 hotels, 15 residences and 36 exceptional homes across 28 countries and territories.
Biles made her debut in the role at Mandarin Oriental, Milan, during her first visit to the city. “I’m excited to partner with Mandarin Oriental because we share the same belief that wellness is about more than physical performance — it’s about taking care of your whole self,” she said.
“Throughout my career, I’ve learned how important recovery, mental wellbeing, and balance are. I’m honoured to work with a brand that truly understands and supports that belief in providing guests with holistic wellness offerings.”
Alex Schellenberger, chief brand and marketing officer of Mandarin Oriental, described the appointment as a shift away from traditional endorsement deals. “This partnership represents a new era in how we engage with talent, moving beyond endorsement to genuine collaboration. Simone brings credibility, lived experience and global influence to our wellness philosophy. We are excited to elevate the conversation around holistic wellbeing and craft experiences that inspire balance, resilience and purpose.”
Exclusive experiences inspired by Biles at Mandarin Oriental, Milan
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To coincide with the launch, Mandarin Oriental, Milan has introduced two experiences inspired by Biles, available through the end of March. The Double-Double Glow is a spa treatment that combines a deep body massage, using alternating hot and cold stones to target toned musculature and stimulate microcirculation, with a Glass Skin facial enhanced by cryo globes for hydration and luminosity. The second offering, the Champion Chip cookie, was developed with the hotel’s culinary team and draws on Biles’s approach to nutrition and recovery.
Both experiences are exclusive to the Milan property for now, though the broader collaboration between Simone Biles and Mandarin Oriental is expected to inform wellness programming across the group’s wider portfolio over the course of the partnership.
Charitable collaboration with Laureus Sport for Good
Alongside the commercial partnership, Simone Biles and Mandarin Oriental will collaborate with Laureus Sport for Good, a charitable organisation that works to improve the lives of young people through the power of sport. The collaboration extends Mandarin Oriental’s long-standing practice of supporting charitable causes through its global ambassador community, and aligns with Biles’s own advocacy work beyond competitive gymnastics.
The appointment comes as luxury hotel groups increasingly place wellness at the centre of their guest experience strategies. For Mandarin Oriental, bringing in an athlete of Biles’ profile, one who has been particularly vocal about mental health and the pressures of elite sport, gives the partnership a degree of credibility that goes beyond a standard brand tie-up.
Quick Summary – Simone Biles
- 🏅 Ambassador: Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time
- 🤝 Role: First-ever Global Wellness Ambassador for Mandarin Oriental
- 🧘 Focus areas: Mental health, physical recovery, nutrition, balance
- 📍 Launch location: Mandarin Oriental, Milan
- 💆 Exclusive treatments: Double-Double Glow spa treatment and Champion Chip cookie, available at MO Milan through end of March
- 🌍 Charity: Partnership includes collaboration with Laureus Sport for Good
mandarinoriental.com, @mo_hotels
