Bob Asmussen | He loves his job, UI and C-U

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Sam Santhanam's list of contacts on his cellphone numbers in the thousands.

"I always have room for one more," said the president of the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Champaign.

While he might not have access to kings and queens, his phone list includes an impressive batch of college coaches and school administrators — royalty in a college community.

Santhanam is one of those people whom everyone in Champaign-Urbana seems to know. And like.

It's a good thing he decided to settle in C-U more than three decades ago. It is a better place because of him.

His 65 years have been spent in service to others. Santhanam's story is one of hard work and perseverance.

Ask Santhanam for help, and the answer is always going to be "yes."

"The word 'no' is very easy," he said. "'Yes,' you have to go one step above and beyond to get the three letters."

He is an unofficial goodwill ambassador for the University of Illinois. When candidates come to town for job interviews, Santhanam could be the first person they meet.

"I always sell this place," he said. "I tell them, 'If I can make it here in Champaign-Urbana, anyone can make it.'"

Students and their parents get the same treatment.

"If they are undecided between three or four colleges, I will highly recommend this institution and our community," he said. "This community has been very good for me."

Santhanam is a board member with Experience Champaign-Urbana. President and CEO Jayne DeLuce asked if he would participate, and Santhanam said "of course." That's how he rolls.

"I'm honored and proud to serve," he said.

Helping out is his priority.

"For me, it is taking care of people and giving them quality service," he said. "And building healthy relationships."

If a dishwasher needs a hand, Santhanam is there. Same with housekeeping or laundry. He parks cars and drives the shuttle.

If his employees are looking to advance in their chosen fields, it is a good bet Santhanam knows someone who can help.

He gave a glowing recommendation for one former employee at the in-house restaurant, Houlihan's, who ended up working for famous chef Mario Batali.

"I connect people with people," Santhanam said.

His employees continue to shine with their effective and honest efforts. One time, when the San Francisco Symphony stayed at the I Hotel while performing at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, housekeepers found $14,000 cash that had been left behind in a room safe. It was immediately reported, and Santhanam made sure the money was delivered to the symphony's next stop in New York.

Santhanam tries to find a way to get things done. Like the time the East Tennessee State basketball team came to C-U for a game against Illinois in 2018.

The Buccaneers didn't get their luggage from the plane, which included their uniforms. Santhanam took the East Tennessee State official in the hotel shuttle to Bloomington to pick up the uniforms for an afternoon tip.

They made it to the State Farm Center in time.

"The show went on," Santhanam said.

Santhanam believes in doing what he can for his employees in need. In one example, a housekeeper named Lupe went to Chicago for business and asked Santhanam for parking suggestions. He had lived there for years and knew the scoop.

Great idea. But when she was ready to head back, she couldn't find the garage where she left the car. With a few questions, they narrowed down the possibilities. Santhanam called a cab-driver friend, James Sutton, who located the car. Lupe got it back with no additional expenses.

Special guests

Santhanam appreciates everyone who visits the I Hotel. He has become friends with many of the Big Ten coaches who stay there.

Like Michigan State's Tom Izzo, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Tom Izzo is great," Santhanam said.

There are only two days a year Santhanam wears a green tie at work. One, naturally, is St. Patrick's Day. The other is when Michigan State comes to the I Hotel.

He greets each visiting team wearing a tie with its school colors. But on gamedays, he rocks Illinois orange.

Former Wisconsin football coach Bo Ryan is another favorite. One year, the Badgers couldn't fly out after a late game at State Farm Center because of poor weather. Santhanam didn't have enough rooms to lodge the entire team, but he was able to put up the coaching staff.

He found rooms at Hawthorn Suites for the rest of the team. Santhanam led the way in a snowstorm.

His Impala got stuck in the snow on Neil Street. Luckily, behind him was a busload of strong basketball players who pushed the car out.

C-U supporter

Santhanam has gone all-in with the campus and community.

He follows college sports, knowing the importance of the games to the UI.

"You have to learn how to swim in this ocean," he said.

Santhanam predicted the Illinois basketball team's win and margin against Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament semifinal.

He would like to make the trip to Omaha, Neb., for Thursday's NCAA tournament game against Morehead State, but he has a prior commitment.

Santhanam will be attending the NCAA wrestling championships in Kansas City, Mo., with his son, Nathan, who is a former college wrestler at West Point. He is a captain in the Army and works at the academy.

Santhanam's daughter, Nisha, is a UI graduate. She lives in Chicago with her UI graduate husband and son.

Santhanam is a widower. His wife, Laura, passed away in 2005 after an illness.

Staying put

He hears the same question often: Now that your kids are grown, are you leaving C-U?

"No, because this is home for them," Santhanam said. "This is where they grew up. When they said, 'Dad, we're coming home,' that means Champaign."

He's a lifer. And in no hurry to retire.

"Sixty-five is just a number," Santhanam said of his age. "I don't like to look behind. I like to look forward. As long as I am healthy, I will keep going."

Long journey

Santhanam was born in Mumbai (then known as Bombay), India, and grew up in Chennai (then Madras).

He is one of six kids. All his siblings went to college.

In India, the big sports when he was a kid were cricket, field hockey and chess. Santhanam doesn't follow them now. He is more about football, basketball and wrestling.

Santhanam attended the Indian Ministry of Tourism's Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. It was a three-year program with an additional year of training. It was one of just four hotel schools in India at the time. Today, there are 2,400 schools.

He learned both about hotels and restaurants.

In the early 1980s, the movie "Gandhi" was filmed in what is now called Mumbai. Santhanam, who was fluent in English, was hired to help. He spent time with star Ben Kingsley and director/producer Richard Attenborough, who both won Oscars.

A mentor advised Santhanam that if he wanted to improve in the business, he needed to leave India. He took a job in Asia for two years, then moved to Zurich, Switzerland, for two years. He mostly helped on the kitchen side.

The Preferred Hotels brand was conducting interviews in Europe for positions at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla. Santhanam missed his initial opportunity but was persistent. He asked a friend to take his résumé to the interviewer in Paris. That landed Santhanam the job on Sept. 29, 1984, and he spent seven years at The Breakers, working in the dining room and in purchasing and receiving.

It was his first time in the U.S.

He met wife Laura in Florida, and daughter Nisha was born there. And he met the rich and famous: Bob Hope, Tony Bennett and so many others.

Laura grew up in Illinois and wanted to move back home.

"I had no idea where Illinois was," Santhanam said.

The family moved to Rantoul in 1991. Santhanam worked in Chicago for the Metropolitan Club at the top of the Sears Tower. He commuted each week, mostly by bus.

He left after a few years to work at another restaurant, with an offer for a three-day weekend.

Santhanam kept working in Chicago for 12 years.

In 2003, Santhanam began looking for jobs in Champaign-Urbana with no luck.

At a laundromat in Rantoul, he met a woman who suggested he apply at Cracker Barrel. He landed a job working as a server on the weekends.

He needed more income to provide for his two kids.

So he worked Monday through Thursday at Hawthorn Suites, where he stayed for five years. He was at Cracker Barrel for six years.

Rotarian Dan Wheatman told Santhanam to apply at the new I Hotel, where his daughter Whitney was a project manager.

Santhanam started at the I Hotel from the time it opened Aug. 11, 2008. His first job was as a conference attendant, earning $10.50 an hour for setting up tables.

His bosses obviously liked his work. He received a series of promotions, becoming director of operations in 2010. In 2012, he became the general manager. Then president in 2017.

The title wasn't as important to Santhanam as having a leadership role.

The work ethic that landed him the job continues today. Santhanam arrives at the hotel each morning by 7:30 a.m. and leaves at about 9 p.m. A heavy schedule.

"I like it," he said.

Very thankful

Santhanam is quick to credit all the people who have assisted him along the way and believed him him. Peter Fox and the late Clint Atkins are major influences.

He also mentions Peter T. Tomaras from Rotary, the late Carl Meyer and others.

"They are all a big support," he said. "That helps me do whatever I am doing."

Santhanam first met Fox early in his tenure at the I Hotel, when Santhanam was in the dumpster behind the building, trying to make more room for trash. Fox jokes with him about their first encounter.

The I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center employs more than 100. Santhanam has a strong team of managers.

He has never remarried.

"I'm married to the I Hotel and Conference Center," he said. "I've been here since Day One. We have pleased thousands of people over the years."

That includes Purdue basketball center Zach Edey. Santhanam went viral with a recent photo of him and Edey, as the Boilermaker has a few feet on Santhanam in height.