Saantha Naidu

Saantha Naidu is the chief executive officer of Saantha Naidu Group. He says he got into the hospitality industry by accident 30 years ago, when in 1993, several entrepreneurs, including him, acquired a holiday apartment building on Durban’s Golden Mile, the Coastlands Durban Hotel, and self-catering apartments.

In 2007, Saantha acquired a property next to his residential home on the popular Peter Mokaba Road in Musgrave, and the plan was to develop upmarket residential apartments. However, during the construction phase, it was decided to adapt this building according to the requirements of a hotel, which then opened as a four-star graded hotel in November 2009.

One year later, November 2010, saw the launch of another hotel, which has become a landmark in Umhlanga, Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre, situated on Umhlanga Ridge, a booming corporate and leisure node.

In 2015, Coastlands Hotels and Resorts added the iconic Royal Hotel to its portfolio. In respect of the Royal Hotel, Saantha said, “Owning the property is something we are excited about, It is a place of historical value that everyone can relate to.”

THE PERFECT LIFESTYLE
The latest addition to the group’s portfolio is The Skye, a billion rand plus luxury property which is a mixed-use development comprising upmarket residential apartments with drive-up access, retail and commercial spaces, and a 118-bedroom, four-star graded hotel, Coastlands Skye Hotel, which opened its doors to the public in April 2024. This development is located in a quiet cul-de-sac in Ridgeside, Umhlanga. Saantha says his vision for The Skye is to have multiple generations living upstairs and working downstairs, with shopping facilities and restaurants closing the experiential loop.

“It is all about creating the perfect lifestyle living environment into which people can retire. And even though our demographic includes retirees and those approaching retirement age, The Skye provides a luxury lifestyle for families of all ages with a welcoming child-friendly environment underpinned by world-class security measures.”

Coastlands Hotels and Resorts has also acquired apartments in Umdloti and on KwaZulu-Natal’s most prestigious Zimbali golf and lifestyle estate.

When it comes to what inspires Saantha in this business, he says, “What inspires me the most is employing people, we employ around 800 people today and that helps put food on the table for about 5000 people – that inspires me a lot.”

LEARN FROM OTHERS
He says the hospitality industry is very challenging and getting into it was difficult. Today, Coastlands Hotels and Resorts is the largest privately black- owned hotel group in KwaZulu-Natal.

Saantha says he has been successful because of the people he has around him, “Firstly, I have a lovely family who supports me, and secondly, I have staff that have been with us over 25 years. My success is basically because of the people around me.” He says that his staff are part of the family and that there is nothing that they do without first discussing decisions with senior management. “I do not do anything without other people’s advice. We are there to learn from others and I believe that others can teach us.”

For Saantha service is the most important thing in the hospitality industry. “Details, making sure the customers come first, treating them with the utmost respect, giving them what they deserve.” He says they try to give the ‘home away from home’ experience for their customers.

All his children are involved in the business and he says they have a fantastic relationship where they are very open, and they have discussions on every aspect regarding the business.

SERVE THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU
When it comes to after hours, he says that exercise is very important to him, and he really enjoys walks on the beach in his spare time. Saantha gets up at 5.30 a.m. every morning and walks on the beach and is back home by 7a.m. He works a good ten to eleven hours a day.

He also enjoys listening to good music and spending time with his grandchildren.

His advice to people, “Work hard, be honest and sincere, put others first before yourself.” He says, “Serve the people around you, do what is best for everybody, you must be able to sleep at night with no regrets.”