Harris Rosen

Harris Rosen (September 9, 1939 – November 25, 2024) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He founded Rosen Hotels & Resorts in 1974, and served as the company's president and chief operating officer.

Rosen was widely known in the Central Florida area for his philanthropy, and was named the Orlando Sentinels Central Floridian of the Year in 2011.

Early life and education Rosen was born in 1939 in Manhattan to Jack and Lee Rosen. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 1961. He then served in the United States Army for three years in Germany and South Korea becoming a first lieutenant. Rosen, a descendant of Russian Jewish immigrants, devoted significant resources to the local Jewish community, donating to and renaming the Jack and Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Jewish Community Center in 2015.

Career Rosen began his career at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City as a convention salesman. He also worked at other hotels including various Hilton Hotels and the New Yorker Hotel. Rosen eventually joined the Walt Disney Company as director of hotel planning.

During the height of the 1973 oil crisis, Rosen left Disney and purchased his first hotel, a Quality Inn on International Drive in southwest Orlando. The company administers 6,694 guestrooms, has 4,500 employees, and is valued at over $500 million.

Philanthropy

Rosen's philanthropic efforts began in 1993, when he created the Tangelo Park Program to benefit an impoverished Orlando community of the same name. The three-pronged program includes his promise of college scholarships (including room, board, books, and tuition) for members of the community who are accepted to vocational school, college or university in the state of Florida. The program includes a parent resource center and ten neighborhood preschools. As of 2016, more than 200 college degrees have been awarded through this program.

In the spring of 2016, Rosen announced a program similar to the Tangelo Park Program, albeit five times as large, to benefit the Parramore District near downtown Orlando. He funded hundreds of scholarships annually to students attending the Rosen College.

Rosen funded sending medical supplies and personal hygiene items to Haiti. In 2006, he hosted the Water for Haiti gala at Rosen Plaza which funded more than 200 water filtration devices. He has also committed to rebuilding hurricane damaged homes—more than 100—which were completed in December 2017. Rosen served as a charter member of the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees.

Personal life and death Rosen married his wife, Trisha, and they had four children together: Adam, Jack, Joshua, and Shayna. Rosen lost his youngest son, Adam, to a brain tumor in November 2018. He set up a foundation in Adam's name and donated millions to fund brain tumor research at the University of Florida.

Rosen died on November 25, 2024, at his home in Orlando at the age of 85 following complications related to a brief battle with ampullary cancer.

Awards In 2016, Rosen was awarded the Bob Graham Center for Public Service Citizen of the Year award for his work with Tangelo Park. He was also named the most influential person in tourism in Orlando by Orlando magazine. In November 2017, Rosen was honored by the Orlando Business Journal as the Philanthropist of the Year. The International Drive Chamber of Commerce also named an award in Rosen's name—The Harris Rosen Philanthropy Award—which he received in November 2017. It is awarded annually to those exemplifying his passion for philanthropy. In June 2022, Rosen was recognized by the International Hospitality Institute on the list of the Global 100 in Hospitality as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.