Harris Rosen is the founder and president of the award-winning Rosen Hotels & Resorts that dot the Central Florida landscape. Along with a group of other media-types, I met him on the turf of his newest hotel — Rosen Shingle Creek. Tan and fit, Rosen looks like he'd be equally at home on the golf course as well as in the board room. He is incredibly energetic and is as exuberant about his final project as a proud papa. He should be. It is a glorious hotel — architecturally grand, yet authentically Florida — inside and out.
Rosen's path to success began long before he graduated from the prestigious School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in 1961. Dedicated to the hospitality industry, his impressive resume includes the Hilton Hotel Corporation and the Disney Company in California. His childhood entrepreneurial spirit was rekindled in 1973 when he purchased his first hotel — a 256-room Quality Inn on International Drive in Orlando. From that meager beginning Rosen's company has grown from 256 rooms to more than 6,300. He currently owns and operates seven properties in the Orlando area, including the award-winning Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza. Is there a secret to his success? Rosen says, "The secret of success is no secret. You've got to work your ass off. You have to be obsessed." And, if you ask anyone intimately involved in the planning of Rosen Shingle Creek, they will tell you that Harris Rosen was obsessed about every detail.
Several years ago, Rosen purchased a parcel of 250 acres along the legendary. Shingle Creek. Rosen felt that this site, flourishing with native flowers and plants, embodied Florida's natural magnificence and would be the perfect setting for the final project of his illustrious career.
As the head waters for the legendary Florida Everglades, Single Creek is historically significant. Rosen believes in preservation and he believes in excellence, so his hotel would be modeled after the stately and grand hotels of Florida's past while featuring exceptional accommodations and the world-renowned Rosen Hotels' services; yet, all the while showcasing and preserving the area's natural beauty.
Rosen Shingle Creek skillfully blends its majestic 1900's Spanish Revival-style architecture with ultra-modern amenities. The resort features 1500 luxurious guest rooms and suites, an impressive 445,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, a full-service spa, fitness center and an 18-hole championship golf course; as well as memorable dining and entertainment choices from the resort's fine-dining signature restaurant — Cala Bella — to an upgraded 24-hour deli, 18 Monroe Street Market.
Guest rooms are spacious, warm and inviting. Elegant, yet functional surroundings with modern amenities and high-tech conveniences make you feel pampered while allowing you to stay connected. Also, as a guest you can't overlook that this stunning property is conveniently located in the heart of Orlando — within one mile of the Orange County Convention Center, ten minutes from the Orlando International Airport, less than five minutes to SeaWorld Orlando, ten minutes from Universal Orlando and less than an hour from the Atlantic Ocean.
When Rosen Shingle Creek opened September 9, 2006, everyone expected quality. After all, it was a Rosen hotel. But, it has exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Harris Rosen's. "I studied the hotels that I had always admired. I examined the renowned resorts, with their colorful histories, enviable reputations and household names. I decided that my next resort, this resort, must be of that caliber. yet, amazingly, the Rosen Shingle Creek has actually exceeded my expectations." Mine too.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation and meals for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this article, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
