Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park appoints new spa director

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London has appointed Michelle Matthews as its new director of spa and wellness.

Matthews, who was instrumental in the creation of the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, has been working as assistant director of spa at both of the group’s London properties.

She now moves solely to The Spa at Hyde Park, where she replaces Jamie Pagan, who has recently left his role as area director of spa and wellness for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Matthews has been with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group for the six past years. Prior to this she worked at the Corinthia and Bulgari hotels in London.

“Throughout my journey with Mandarin Oriental, I have remained committed to delivering exceptional experiences and creating an environment of excellence,” adds Matthews. “I am driven by a passion for wellness and innovation.”

A career in spa

Matthews began her career in wellness at a small spa in Manchester. After working as senior therapist during the opening of Bulgari Hotel London, she joined ESPA Life at Corinthia as head therapist in 2016, advancing to treatments manager.

In 2018, Matthews moved to Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, ascending to spa manager and then assistant director of spa. She expanded her role to include The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair in 2022.

Matthews is passionate about creating a working culture within The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park that encourages continuous learning, collaboration and innovation.

“I am aiming to create a supportive atmosphere where our team is empowered to push boundaries and strive for excellence,” she says.

“For me, retaining staff we’ve worked hard to train is the key; it’s more important than recruitment. Retention requires collaboration – listening to the team, not delegating to them.

“I’ll hold regular strategy meetings with our therapists and strive to make sure communications are open, so no one is worried about speaking out.”

Matthews will be replaced in Mayfair by new spa manager, Liza Manets.

“Having to be part of the opening team for the spa, I am especially proud of the bespoke and personalised treatments,” continues Manets, who has worked for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group since 2017.

She joined the spa team at Hyde Park before the renovation in 2017, coming back in 2018 for the reopening and has held various roles since.

These include looking after guest experience and overall spa and wellness operations.

Mandarin Oriental expansion plans

Mandarin Oriental has been focussing heavily on creating bespoke wellness offerings and a hyper-personalised service in recent years.

“This level of bespoke – having someone creating every interaction for you – that’s not something our competitors do. It’s a 360-degree offer that saves our members time and is delivered to an exceptionally high standard,” says Matthews.

Mayfair was MOHG’s 40th property globally. The Group has announced plans for a third London hotel, on the South Bank, due to open in 2028.

In the shorter term, it has Mandarin Oriental Vienna opening in summer 2025. Mandarin Oriental Rome, Cortina in Italy and Mallorca, Spain are both scheduled for 2026.

Wellness is integral to the brand. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is a new blueprint the group will be moving forwards with. The majority of new developments will have a branded spa.

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