Sharing Success

by Danny Summers

Last month, I saw the news that Harris Rosen, founder of the Rosen Hotels & Resorts in the Orlando, Florida, area, passed away. That brought back thoughts and many memories of The Fall Event in 2015 and is the basis for this message. Harris was kind enough (and we were fortunate enough) to have him give The Group a personal welcome at the start of The Fall Event 2015. More about that a little later. But first, let me share what I have learned about Harris Rosen.

The Fall Event 2015 was in Orlando and our host hotel was the Rosen Plaza (one of three Rosen Hotels located in this area of International Drive), just across the street from the Orange County Convention Center, where The Landscape Show is held each year. The Landscape Show, produced by the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA), is a sister event to TPIE and serves the more general industry segments, more non-tropical, you might say. On the final day of The Fall Event 2015, participants were able to experience The Landscape Show.

In preparing for The Fall Event 2015, I became aware of how Rosen Hotels & Resorts was a privately-held business and its founder, Harris Rosen, was a highly respected part of the Orlando business community, especially the hospitality industry.

I was interested in learning more about Harris Rosen, so a quick search revealed Harris had a modest early life. He was born and raised in New York City’s lower eastside. His father, Jack, was an Engineer for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Being with his Dad around the Waldorf Astoria at times in the early years helped set the hotel business in motion as Harris' career goal.

Harris graduated college with a degree in Hotel Administration at Cornell. He spent three years in the US Army. Upon returning, his early hotel career actually began at Hilton, where he received a scholarship while at Cornell. By the late '60s, he joined the Disney Company in California as Director of Hotel Planning. He was intimately involved in the design and development of the Contemporary Resort Hotel and the Polynesian Village Hotel, both of which opened at Walt Disney World in Orlando in October of 1971.

Multiple sources include Harris sharing the story of how he was let go from the Walt Disney Company, which he joined in 1968 in the lead-up to the opening of Walt Disney World, because of his independent streak and entrepreneurial drive, recounting that his supervisors told him he "wasn’t a company man.”

In 1974 Rosen left Disney to purchase his first small hotel, the 256-room Quality Inn on International Drive (now the Rosen Inn). That was the beginning. Now, let's fast-forward to 2015.

Arriving onsite at the Rosen Plaza, just a few blocks down International Drive from the Rosen Inn, for The Fall Event 2015, I quickly began to see how and why Harris Rosen was so successful. His success was rooted in two things... People and Sharing.

Almost all of the hotel staff I met were career Rosen employees. I'm not just talking about the management team. I remember talking with one of the bellmen who had been there for 10-15 years. He was quick to talk about his relationship with Harris Rosen and how much "Mr. Harris" cared about his staff. The bellman said, "I know I could leave, go to another hotel, and probably make more money, but I know they would not care as much about me and my welfare as Mr. Harris does."

More evidence of Harris Rosen's approach to caring for his staff was actually just down the street a block or two at the Rosen Medical Center, a medical facility Harris created to provide free healthcare to his employees.

Hearing all of the Rosen staff comments confirmed that Harris Rosen knew his success was a direct result of his entire staff's commitment to quality of work and customer experience.

And I believe it was a direct result of his commitment to his staff... each and every one.

Linda Adams, FNGLA's COO and longtime friend of Karen and me, shared details of how Harris Rosen had given so much to the local university (UCF) to establish a hospitality school that is now ranked #1 in the nation. It is now the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Linda also told us about Harris Rosen adopting a local underserved community and their schools to fund free Pre-K, supporting the schools in a number of activities, and even funding college tuition for high school seniors (Tangelo Park and Parramore programs). Through his support and active participation, graduation rates at both the high school and college levels have dramatically increased.

Last week, while I was at TPIE, after telling her I planned to share this story about Harris Rosen, she said, "He was known to call every employee and wish them a happy birthday, even when he had over 1,000 employees."

Today, Harris Rosen's two sons and daughter are at the top of the company. They recently appointed long-time Vice President Frank Santos to be CEO. Santos was recently quoted saying, "While Harris' passing leaves a void that can never truly be filled, his value and vision will always continue to guide us forward. He gave generously to benefit families in underserved communities ... people battling cancer... and through his foundation, generations of Central Floridians are better off now and better set for the future," Santos added."

Today, Rosen Hotels & Resorts is one of the Southeast’s largest independent hotel chains, now celebrating its 50th anniversary with seven area hotels with 6,000+ guest rooms, multiple subsidiary businesses, and more than 4,000 employees.

During the opening session of The Fall Event 2015, while standing on the stage in the Grand Ballroom of the Rosen Plaza, I shared some of Harris Rosen's story. I played a video that featured Harris telling some of his story and his vision for Sharing Success. That video is below. At the end of the recorded message, I said, "So now you know a little about Harris Rosen. But here's the real Harris Rosen."

Mr. Rosen then entered the room, dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. He shared more about his story and his business philosophy and answered questions from our Centers. He was soft-spoken, humble, and incredibly generous with his time for us.

I invite you to click on the video here the video I played, just before he walked into the room. I believe his message can have a big impact on our vision for our future.

PLEASE NOTE: If you receive an error when clicking on the video below, you can watch it directly on YouTube HERE.

In 2023, Harris Rosen said, "Good leadership is more than just leading, it is also about leading others to realize their fullest potential by providing opportunities for growth and development."

Frank Santos was also recently quoted saying, “Quite simply put, Mr. Rosen was a humble man who has positively impacted the lives of thousands of Floridians not for any other reason than, in his words, ‘because it is the right thing to do.’ ”

Sharing Success...because it is the right thing to do!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!