Harris Rosen's Enduring Legacy: Shaping Hospitality and Transforming Communities Through the UCF Rosen College
The passing of Harris Rosen at the age of 85 marks the end of an era for Orlando and Central Florida. Rosen was not only a successful businessman but also a visionary philanthropist whose dedication to hospitality and education transformed countless lives. His contributions, particularly through the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management and community programs like the Tangelo Park Program, have left an indelible mark on the region. Harris Rosen was an inspirational figure and a shining example of the passion and drive that hoteliers need to succeed.
A Titan of the Hospitality Industry
Born and raised on New York City’s lower Eastside, Rosen received a Bachelor of Science in 1961 from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. He served for three years in the United States Army as an officer in Germany and South Korea. Rosen began his career at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City as a convention salesman. He continued with the Hilton Hotels Corporation occupying various management positions in some of the larger Hilton properties. Rosen then joined the Post Company of Dallas as Director of Hotel Operations where he was involved in the development and management of one of its finest resort properties in Acapulco, Mexico. He left the Post Company after several years to join the Disney Company in California in 1968 as Director of Hotel Planning for Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Rosen's entrepreneurial journey began in 1974 when he purchased the 256-room Quality Inn on International Drive in Orlando (later expanded to 728 rooms). Shortly thereafter, Rosen acquired the Rodeway Inn International with 251 rooms. His next venture resulted in the purchase of 14 prime acres on International Drive leading to the development of the 1,020-room Quality Inn Plaza, which was at the time the largest Quality Inn in the nation. On May 15, 1987, Rosen completed the first phase of his 640-room Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. In 2010, the property was upgraded to the Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista. That same year, Rosen chose to engage in extensive multi-million dollar renovations for his leisure hotel portfolio. In 2003, Rosen acquired 255 acres east of the Orange County Convention Center and began construction of his largest property to date: the 1,501-room Rosen Shingle Creek, which opened on September 9, 2006 (Rosen’s birthday). The hotel features 524,000 gross square feet of meeting and event space and world-class amenities including the 18-hole, championship Shingle Creek Golf Club, The Spa at Shingle Creek including a full-service salon and fitness center, four outdoor swimming pools, tennis court, beach volleyball, a nature trail and more.
Over the course of more than 45 years, Rosen was involved in numerous other efforts to better the Orlando and Central Florida community. His entrepreneurial career has involved purchasing distressed hotel properties and transforming them into successful ventures. After renovating the building, he then acquired and built more hotels in the area, helping to develop the trade show epicenter into what it is today through his shaping of the tourism district. On June 24 of this year, Rosen Hotels & Resorts marked the 50th anniversary of the hotel group.
Founded in 1974, Rosen Hotels & Resorts currently features a collection of nine Central Florida hotels providing 6,694 guestrooms-approximately six percent of the Central Florida inventory. The award-winning collection includes six leisure hotels-the 728-room Rosen Inn International, 1020-room Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, 315-room Rosen Inn (closest to Universal Orlando Resort®), 640-room Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista, 134-room Midpointe Hotel and the 224 Clarion Inn and Suites at International Drive. ft. Rosen Hotels & Resorts owns several subsidiaries that create synergy and maximize operational efficiencies. ProvInsure, Rosen’s insurance agency and risk management consulting company, was founded in 1995. Rosen Hotels & Resorts has been nationally recognized for its innovative, trend-setting associate wellness and preventative care programs as well as low-cost insurance and on-site, full-service medical facilities, all in the spirit of the Rosen Medical Center, A Place for Healing and Wellness. Rosen’s enthusiasm for health and wellness is well-known and well-respected by his associates. An avid fitness buff and master swimmer, Rosen inspires a healthy approach to diet and exercise.
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His love for the industry made him the largest independent hotelier in Florida. As a businessman, his dedication to hospitality and tourism became the gold standard by which all others within the industry measure themselves.
The UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management: A Lasting Gift
Education and wellness have long been at the forefront of Rosen’s philanthropic endeavors. In 2002, Rosen donated a 20-acre site at the foot of Rosen Shingle Creek and $10 million to the University of Central Florida (UCF) to develop the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. His generous donation to the University of Central Florida built the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, which was just ranked best in the nation for the fifth consecutive year for its hospitality management and tourism program.
Ranked number two among hospitality colleges worldwide, the Rosen College opened in January 2004 with fewer than 100 students and is currently among the fastest growing colleges in the United States climbing in enrollment to more than 3,500 students to date.
The UCF Rosen College is deeply embedded in the region’s hospitality industry and serves as an advantageous asset to many companies who work behind the scenes of the region’s tourism cluster. The college's success is a testament to Rosen's vision and commitment to providing quality education in the hospitality sector.
Transforming Communities Through Education
Rosen strongly believes the opportunity to receive a better education can and must start as early as 2 years of age. This belief is evident in his long-time commitment to the underserved Orlando neighborhood of Tangelo Park.
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In 1993, Rosen helped spearhead the Tangelo Park Program after the community asked for help with improvements. Since 1993, Rosen’s Tangelo Park Program has provided free preschool for all 2-, 3-, and 4-year olds who live in the Tangelo Park neighborhood. All of the neighborhood youngsters who graduate from high school and are accepted to a trade school, community college, or 4-year public college or university in Florida are provided with an all-expense paid college education to include: tuition, books, room and board-paid for by Rosen. When the program started the high school dropout rate was about 25%, and now the graduation rate in Tangelo Park is close to 100%, emphasizing the positive impact programs and leaders like Rosen have on communities. Over the years, high school graduation rates have improved dramatically from approximately 55% to nearly 100%.
In 2016, Rosen’s passion for providing hope through education opportunities led him to embark on a similar program in the Parramore neighborhood, an underserved urban community located near downtown Orlando, which is five times the size of the Tangelo Park neighborhood. Once again he provides free trade school, community college or four-year Florida public college education to high school graduates living in this community. More than 40 Parramore youth have received college scholarships. In 2017, Rosen opened the Rosen Preschool at the Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence as an extension of this program.
Rosen established a $2.5 million scholarship endowment for UCF, which has been matched by the state.
His groundbreaking work with the Tangelo Park Foundation, Parramore Foundation, and the Adam Michael Rosen Foundation and more, his contributions have transformed countless lives.
Beyond Orlando: A Global Impact
Rosen’s contributions have reached far beyond Orlando to other communities in need. Rosen Hotels has long contributed to Haiti relief, providing on-going medical and school supplies as well as hosting the “Water for Haiti Gala” in 2005 that raised $350,000 to send water filtration devices to Haiti, which are capable of providing clean drinking water to approximately 200,000 people. In 2010, Rosen launched the Haiti Relief Rebuild Sustain program. Through Rosen’s personal funding and charity, this philanthropic initiative raised $650,000 to provide aid to the victims of the 2010 earthquake. After 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, Rosen rebuilt more than 100 Haitian homes devastated by the hurricane.
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In September 2009, the Jack and Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center, named in honor of Rosen’s parents, opened its doors. Rosen’s contribution of $5.1 million provided for a state-of-the-art facility and school that now serves approximately 150 students, ages 2 months to 5-years old. Rosen served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Bethune-Cookman University Statue Project with the late Dr. Dorothy Height, President Emeriti of the National Council of Negro Women. In January 2005, the project team unveiled a statue sculpted of America’s beloved Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune including fountains and landscaping on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University, which Dr.
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