When Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group announced that Simone Biles, the American gymnast and holder of 11 Olympic medals, would become its first-ever global wellness ambassador in February 2026, the announcement was carefully worded. This was not, the company stressed, an endorsement deal. It was, in the words of Alex Schellenberger, chief brand and marketing officer, “A new era in how we engage with talent, moving beyond endorsement to genuine collaboration.”
That distinction of endorsement versus collaboration captures something about a strategy moving into luxury hospitality. From Aman to Hilton to Accor, major hotel groups are tying their brand identities to high-profile athletes and cultural figures; increasingly, they’re doing it through the lens of wellness.
The timing is not coincidental: The global wellness tourism market was valued at $945 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2033, according to Straits Research. Hotels are eager to check in.
Beyond the Spa
For decades, hotel wellness meant a good spa and a fitness center with decent equipment. That era is evolving. Today’s luxury traveler understands wellness as something considerably more expansive, focusing on sleep optimization, mental resilience, recovery science, longevity programming and the integration of ancient healing traditions with modern performance medicine.
This evolution set the groundwork for the ambassador model and propelled it forward. A glossy spa menu can be replicated by any competitor; a multi-year partnership with tennis legend and winner of 24 major titles, Novak Djokovic, built around programming he helped design, is tougher to copy.
Aman, known for its ultra-luxury, serene sanctuaries and a loyal following of “Amanjunkies,” made an early bet on the model, naming tennis icon Maria Sharapova as a wellness partner in 2023. Her Building Mental Resilience program, launched at Amanzoe in Greece, centers on focus, confidence and the psychological frameworks behind a championship career, the mental side of elite performance translated into a guest experience.
The following year, Aman went further, naming Novak Djokovic its first global ambassador and wellness advisor. The collaboration produced Longevity Pathways, a suite of retreats developed with his direct input. The first offering, the Detoxification Program, launched at seven properties, from Amanpuri in Thailand to Amangiri in Utah. Each program was designed around the setting. At Amangiri, guests can participate in sunrise yoga on the canyon’s red rock formations; at Amanbagh in India guests experience Pinda Sweda, a traditional Ayurvedic treatment using herbal boluses. In 2026, Aman added a new Mobility and Recovery Programme by Djokovic at five properties.
“At Aman, we see the future of wellness as the seamless union of athletic excellence and spiritual depth,” said Yuki Kiyono, global head of health and wellness development at Aman.
But Why?
The cynical read on these deals is that hotels are buying awareness and celebrity. The more sophisticated version—the one industry insiders offer—is that they’re buying credibility, community and product development.
Andrew Barnard, CEO of SunSwept Resorts, whose BodyHoliday and StolenTime properties in Saint Lucia have hosted programming from NFL hall-of-famer Randy Moss, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and Olympic gold medalist sprinter Julien Alfred, said, “We’re not trying to influence or [do it] for the celebrity aspect, but rather for a deeper meaning behind the brand of what we represent.”
He also noted that ambassador partnerships can inject fresh energy into a property image. Speaking on the Aman-Djokovic collaboration, specifically, he said, “It has brought a more dynamic and younger image to the brand.”
That audience development angle is front and center at Accor, where Mehdi Hemici, chief loyalty and partnerships officer, signed football superstar and Real Madrid member Kylian Mbappé as the face of the company’s first global campaign for ALL Accor, its 100-million-member loyalty program. Titled “Don’t Be A Guest, Be A Guest Star,” the campaign’s creative conceit alone was a swing. Mbappé, one of the most recognized athletes on earth, is positioned not as the star but as a symbol of excellence playing host to the guest, arranging private boat excursions, spa access and behind-the-scenes kitchen tours for members who, in Accor’s telling, are the real VIPs.
“Every guest is a guest star,” Hemici said. “Mbappé is at the service of the real guest stars, which are our customers.”
The campaign launched in waves across six key markets: France, the UK, Germany, Australia, Brazil and China, starting with digital out-of-home placements in major international airports before expanding to Instagram, TikTok and video-on-demand. Accor’s TikTok account now ranks among the top two in hospitality globally. The partnership is multi-year, which Hemici considers essential.
“Repetition matters,” he said. “That’s the beauty of having an ambassadorship that is global in nature across multiple years.”
Mbappé’s role is also expanding into wellness territory. He is set to headline Fairmont Fit, an upcoming sports and wellness initiative under the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts brand, and Hemici connects him to Accor’s broader longevity programming.
“When we talk about longevity, it’s about adding life to years, not years to life,” he said.
For a lodging company spanning more than 45 brands, from Sofitel and Fairmont to ibis and Novotel, across more than 110 countries, having a figure who can fuse performance culture and emotional balance across that range is a strategic asset that goes well beyond the campaign.
Measuring Worth
Ask any of these brands about ROI and the answers share a common shape. Yes, they track the hard numbers, but the most important outcomes are harder to quantify.
Mandarin Oriental’s Schellenberger outlined the brand’s approach. “We look at this through several lenses simultaneously, and we are deliberate about not reducing it to a single metric,” he said. “Brand sentiment and cultural positioning are foundational. We also look at direct commercial indicators, such as engagement with ambassador-linked content, uptake of the bespoke in-hotel experiences and the quality of earned media coverage.”
At Accor, the numbers are more concrete. Hemici reported that the brand grew awareness by eight points in a single year, a figure drawn from surveys of more than 35,000 international travelers, and, which Hemici said, reached parity with Marriott Bonvoy in brand recognition outside the U.S.
“These campaigns really help cut across today and tomorrow’s travelers,” he said.
Outside looking into the hotel industry, Sara Cemin, head of customer relations at wellness brand Helio Cure and a nine-year veteran of healthcare marketing, offered a take that cuts through brand speak. “Most hotel brands gauge success through impressions and press mentions. It is the repeat bookings that reveal the real return,” she said, pointing to research by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, and cited in the Harvard Business Review, which found that a 5% increase in customer retention can grow profits by 25% to 95%.
What Ambassadors Do
Compensation terms are confidential across the board. Time commitments are discussed in terms of philosophy instead of hours. What brands will say is that the best partnerships have moved well beyond a face on a billboard.
Biles actively collaborates with Mandarin Oriental’s wellness board, composed of specialists in lifestyle performance, meditation, movement, nutrition and sleep. She co-developed the Double-Double Glow treatment at Mandarin Oriental, Milan, built around her recovery philosophy. There’s also a “Champion Chip” cookie developed with the hotel’s culinary team.
“Every partnership must result in something tangible and bookable,” Schellenberger said. “It has to be an experience guests can truly engage with.”
At Aman, Djokovic’s and Sharapova’s programs are explicitly curated with the athletes but available year-round without their physical presence. SunSwept operates differently. Ambassadors are on-site at BodyHoliday and StolenTime, leading sessions and interacting directly with guests. The relationships are also reciprocal. When Julien Alfred won Olympic gold, SunSwept hosted her annual charity event at BodyHoliday, raising $100,000 for her foundation.
“Just as these athletes inspire our guests,” Bernard said, “we aim to create opportunities that elevate and support them in return.”
The Wellness Imperative
Across all of these partnerships, wellness emerges as more than a category add-on: It’s becoming an organizing principle of luxury hospitality’s near-term future. Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report found that the top motivation for leisure travel this year is “to rest and recharge,” a finding that directly informed the brand’s ASMR sleep video with Formula 1 driver Lando Norris, recorded using only hotel amenities during the F1 summer break. It generated more than 35 million views, with an average YouTube watch time of 18 minutes during late-night hours.
“A brand’s job isn’t to create new fandom,” said Dan Reynolds, SVP of global marketing for Hilton. “It’s to show up authentically within the fandoms that already exist and demonstrate that you’re the brand for them.” In 2024, Hilton announced a global ambassador partnership with Indian actress, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur Deepika Padukone.
The sound of a world champion’s voice helping hotel guests fall asleep, distributed globally via YouTube, is a reasonable summary of where luxury wellness marketing has arrived. The ambassador is no longer just a spokesperson: They are, in the most literal sense, part of the experience. The brands that figure out how to make that feel authentic are the ones guests will remember and return to.
Story contributed by Meagan Drillinger.