Orlando hotelier Harris Rosen dies at age 85

Florida mourns a well-regarded philanthropist. Image via Rosen Hotels and Resorts.

Harris Rosen, an Orlando hotelier and philanthropist, died Monday at age 85, his company announced.

Rosen was the CEO of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, which runs nine properties in Orlando, primarily near the tourism corridor.

But Rosen wasn’t just known as a successful business owner. He was regarded as a generous leader who helped his employees by giving them free English lessons and starting a health clinic for them. Throughout the community, Rosen paid for college tuition for hundreds of students from poor areas, supported preschool learning and also sent supplies through his foundation to Haiti, where many of his employees were from.

“Harris was an angel to so many here on Earth, and now he takes his place among the angels in heaven,” Rosen Hotels Vice President Frank Santos said in a statement on X announcing Rosen’s death. “A beloved father, grandfather and a pillar of our community, his boundless generosity and love touched countless lives through his unwavering commitment to helping underserved communities, promoting education, advancing the fight against cancer and supporting health and wellness initiatives.”

In 2011, Rosen’s efforts won him Orlando Sentinel’s Central Floridian of the Year award.

“He has created thousands of jobs, given millions to a long list of good causes, and devoted much of his personal energy to them,” the Sentinel story said in announcing him as the winner, even as the newspaper noted the accolades came as the paper sometimes had “epic disagreements” with Rosen on some local political issues.

Today, part of his legacy lives on at the University of Central Florida (UCF), which named its hospitality business college after him when Rosen donated the 20 acres land and $20 million in cash to build it.

“I told President (John) Hitt that I would really prefer the new college be out here near the theme parks, convention center and International Drive … closer to where all of the action is,” Rosen said, according to UCF, as his gift helped the school start the country’s No. 1 hospitality program in the country.

Rosen was also a charter member of the UCF Board of Trustees.

“His generosity of spirit and extraordinary contributions to the hospitality and tourism management industry have left an incredible mark on our university, our region, and the thousands of students and alumni who have come through the Rosen College and are making their mark in the industry,” UCF President Alexander Cartwright said in a statement Monday. “On behalf of all of us at UCF, we extend our deepest gratitude for his remarkable legacy.”

With Rosen’s businesses and support, Orlando’s I-Drive developed into a major tourism area outside Disney World.

“I had the honor to work with Mr. Harris Rosen for over 30 amazing years. As a founding father of the International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce his incredible vision and leadership was a major force in the tremendous success of the International Drive Resort Area and our tourism industry,” said Maria Triscari, President and CEO of the International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce. “But Mr. Rosen’s contribution to our community far exceeded the tourism industry.”

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association also issued a statement Monday paying tribute to Rosen.

“Today, Florida’s hospitality industry mourns the loss of one of its most iconic leaders, our dear friend Harris Rosen,” the organization’s CEO Carol Dover said in a statement. “FRLA’s longtime board member and our 2009 Hotelier of the Year, Harris transformed Central Florida’s hospitality landscape through his visionary leadership and unyielding commitment to excellence. He set the standard for innovation and guest service, turning his dream into an empire that became a cornerstone of Orlando’s tourism industry. His remarkable career is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that defines our industry.”

The Sentinel described Rosen’s story as a Horatio Alger tale.

Rosen was born in New York to parents who never went to college and ended up studying hotel administration at Cornell University, serving in the U.S. Army and going to work in the hotel industry, including a stop at Disney, before becoming an entrepreneur. He bought a bankrupt hotel on International Drive for a bargain and would eventually launch his own hotel empire that today has 6,300 rooms and employs several thousand employees.