Six Senses Strengthens Red Sea Leadership With Samantha van Exter Appointment

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea has appointed Samantha van Exter as its new General Manager, bringing more than 25 years of luxury hospitality experience across Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East to the Saudi Arabian resort. She will oversee operations, commercial performance and guest experience at the desert destination.

The appointment places an experienced hotel leader at the helm of a property built around wellness, sustainability and meaningful connections with its surroundings. Van Exter’s background spans resort operations, revenue management, hotel openings, wellness-led hospitality and multi-property leadership.

Her international career includes senior positions with Six Senses’ wider luxury hospitality peer group, Shangri-La, ME by Meliá, Steigenberger, Accor and Montcalm Collection.

What will Samantha van Exter oversee at Six Senses Southern Dunes?

As General Manager, van Exter will oversee all aspects of the resort’s operations, commercial performance and guest experience.

Her remit will cover the day-to-day leadership of Six Senses Southern Dunes while supporting the property’s distinctive positioning within The Red Sea destination.

The resort features 40 pool villas and 36 rooms and is powered entirely by solar energy. Its operating model combines luxury accommodation with a strong emphasis on wellness, sustainability and connection with the surrounding environment.

Van Exter’s experience across resort operations and wellness-led hotels provides a relevant background for managing a property where these elements form a central part of the guest proposition.

Her leadership will also involve guiding the resort team as it delivers the Six Senses approach to hospitality for guests travelling to the Red Sea destination.

How much luxury hospitality experience does van Exter bring?

Van Exter brings more than 25 years of luxury hospitality experience across three major regions: Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Her career has covered several disciplines within hotel management, including resort operations, revenue management, hotel openings, wellness-focused hospitality and multi-property leadership.

This breadth is significant for a General Manager position because the role requires oversight of both operational delivery and commercial performance.

Her international background also means she has worked across different hospitality markets and operating environments. This includes leadership positions in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and South Africa.

The combination of regional experience and varied hotel functions gives van Exter a broad professional foundation as she takes responsibility for Six Senses Southern Dunes.

What was van Exter’s most recent Middle East experience?

Van Exter’s most recent experience in the Middle East came in 2023, when she served as Area Director – Middle East for ME by Meliá.

In that position, she led ME Dubai, located within the Zaha Hadid-designed Opus building.

The role gave her senior leadership experience in one of the Middle East’s most competitive luxury hospitality markets.

Her return to the region with Six Senses Southern Dunes represents a continuation of her Middle Eastern hospitality experience while moving into a new leadership role at a resort positioned around wellness, sustainability and the natural environment.

Her previous regional experience can also provide familiarity with the expectations of luxury travellers visiting the Middle East, while her broader international career adds exposure to different guest markets.

What did van Exter do before joining Six Senses?

Before joining Six Senses, van Exter spent 11 years in London, developing experience across several leading hospitality organisations.

Most recently, she served as Head of Hotels at Montcalm Collection, where she led a portfolio of independent luxury hotels.

Her responsibilities included properties such as the B Corp-certified Inhabit wellness hotels, adding further experience in hospitality businesses where wellness and responsible operations are important parts of the guest proposition.

This background is particularly relevant to Six Senses Southern Dunes because wellness and sustainability are central elements of the Six Senses brand.

Van Exter’s experience managing independent luxury hotels also adds another dimension to her career, combining portfolio-level leadership with operational experience at individual properties.

Which international hotel brands has van Exter worked with?

Van Exter’s career includes senior roles at Shangri-La The Shard, London, and ME London, as well as General Manager positions with Steigenberger and Accor in the Netherlands.

Her early career began at The Palace of the Lost City at South Africa’s Sun City Resort, where she worked under hospitality figures Sol Kerzner and Jerry Inzerillo.

This career progression has taken her from an early role at a major South African resort through European hotel management and senior London leadership to Middle Eastern hospitality.

It has also given her exposure to different hotel concepts, operating structures and guest markets.

For Six Senses Southern Dunes, that breadth provides a leadership profile combining traditional luxury hotel management with experience in wellness, independent hotels and destination resorts.

Why is wellness important to her new role?

Wellness is one of the defining elements of Six Senses’ hospitality proposition, and van Exter brings direct experience in this area.

Her most recent London leadership position included responsibility for the Inhabit wellness hotels, which are B Corp-certified.

That experience aligns with the operating philosophy of Six Senses Southern Dunes, where wellness is integrated into the resort’s broader approach to guest experience.

The property is positioned within The Red Sea destination and combines its desert setting with a hospitality concept focused on sustainability, wellness and meaningful connections.

Van Exter’s professional background therefore provides experience that corresponds closely with several of the resort’s defining characteristics.

How does sustainability feature at Six Senses Southern Dunes?

Six Senses Southern Dunes has been designed around a sustainability-led operating model, with its 40 pool villas and 36 rooms powered entirely by solar energy.

The resort’s desert location and renewable energy approach form part of its distinctive identity within The Red Sea destination.

For the General Manager, sustainability is therefore not simply an additional operational consideration. It forms part of the property’s guest proposition and the way the resort is positioned within its destination.

Van Exter will lead the team in delivering Six Senses’ approach to sustainability alongside wellness and meaningful guest connections.

Her responsibility will consequently involve balancing operational performance with the distinctive environmental and experiential principles associated with the property.

What is Six Senses’ global expansion?

Six Senses currently operates 25 hotels and resorts and has signed a further 43 properties into its development pipeline.

The brand describes its hospitality philosophy around community, sustainability, emotional hospitality, wellness and crafted experiences, with a distinctive approach that incorporates a touch of quirkiness.

Its portfolio spans different environments, including island resorts, mountain retreats and urban hotels.

The expansion of the brand’s portfolio increases the importance of experienced leaders who can translate the Six Senses philosophy into individual destinations.

Van Exter’s appointment at Southern Dunes brings an executive with experience across luxury hotels, wellness properties and international markets to one of the brand’s properties in Saudi Arabia.

What leadership approach does van Exter bring?

Van Exter describes her leadership style as “connecting with place and people first, inclusive, strategic and focused on continuous improvement.”

She places people at the heart of the guest experience and believes that “making work fun enables us to carry that positivity over to our guests’ experience.”

These principles point towards a leadership approach centred on team engagement, local connection and ongoing operational improvement.

For a destination resort such as Six Senses Southern Dunes, the relationship between employees, guests and the surrounding environment is particularly important.

Her emphasis on people and place therefore complements the resort’s focus on meaningful connections and experiential hospitality.

How has van Exter’s leadership been recognised?

Van Exter’s contribution to the hospitality industry has received industry recognition.

She was named Hotelier of the Year 2025 at Hotel Designs’ Brit List Awards and was also a finalist for Hotelier of the Year 2026 at The Hotel Magazine Awards.

The recognition follows a career that has included leadership across luxury hotels, wellness properties and international hospitality markets.

Her latest appointment adds another senior General Manager position to that career, this time at a resort operating within Saudi Arabia’s rapidly developing Red Sea destination.

The combination of industry recognition and extensive operational experience provides a strong foundation for her leadership at Six Senses Southern Dunes.

What does the appointment mean for Six Senses Southern Dunes?

Van Exter’s appointment brings together several areas of experience that are directly relevant to the resort’s positioning.

Her background includes luxury hospitality, resort operations, wellness-led hotels, commercial management, hotel openings and leadership across different properties and markets.

Six Senses Southern Dunes requires leadership capable of maintaining operational standards while delivering a guest experience built around wellness, sustainability and connection with the destination.

Her previous Middle East experience, combined with her 11 years in London and earlier career in Southern Africa and Europe, gives her an international perspective suited to a globally oriented luxury resort.

As General Manager, she will now lead the property and its team as Six Senses continues to develop its presence in the global luxury hospitality market.