This year, Orlando-based Rosen Hotels & Resorts is celebrating its 50th anniversary.Hotels & Resorts is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Todd Frappier, chief sales and marketing officer for Rosen Hotels & Resorts, has been with the company for more than 30 years and has firsthand knowledge about much of the growth and community-boosting initiatives spearheaded by the company’s founder, President and COO Harris Rosen. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary, Frappier spoke with us about celebrating this important milestone, how the company and Orlando have flourished and the entrepreneurial spirit of Harris Rosen.

Read our full interview with Frappier on the MPI blog, where he discusses the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and the RosenCare healthcare program for employees.

How is Rosen Hotels & Resorts celebrating the 50th anniversary?

We kicked it off in January with the Rosen Reveal magazine, a publication offered in all our guest rooms and properties, with some stories about Mr. Rosen, what the company is all about and how being an independent company allows us to be more creative and flexible when competing in the extremely competitive convention market. We also highlight Mr. Rosen’s philanthropic spirit and his passion for education and healthcare.

We just celebrated our associates at the annual anniversary luncheon; we do this every year, but it had special meaning this year, of course, as we celebrated some of the company’s most-tenured associates, all the way up to Mr. Rosen’s 50 years. We also had a 50th-anniversary celebration at Rosen Shingle Creek with local dignitaries, clients and community leaders—Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings even proclaimed June 24 as Harris Rosen Day. That special evening showcased "a taste of Rosen" with the amazing food our executive chefs and culinary teams provide our guests daily.

We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary at our properties through June 2025 with new, unique anniversary desserts, special events and promotions for our clients.

It’s always great to look back on how we got here and celebrate all the accomplishments of Mr. Rosen and the company, and everyone at the company is very excited about the next 50 years.

How have the company and Orlando grown over the past 50 years?

When Mr. Rosen started the company and purchased his first property in 1974, this country was still feeling the impact of a foreign oil embargo and Orlando was a lot smaller than it is today.

Orlando has evolved as a destination over the past 50 years. Disney put the area on the map from the tourism side and the Orange County Convention Center has dramatically impacted Orlando as a meetings and conventions destination.

In that time, Rosen Hotels & Resorts grew from one small motel to now seven properties with over 6,300 guest rooms and more than 4,000 associates. But I think the core of Rosen is still the same—it’s all about taking care of our associates and offering them a great place to work.

How has Harris Rosen’s entrepreneurial spirit helped drive innovation and growth?

The entrepreneurial spirit of the company starts with Mr. Rosen. As we’ve grown, Mr. Rosen has been and remains very visible. He created the company with a hands-on, no-redtape philosophy—working hard and exceeding customer expectations.

It was important for him to remain focused on Central Florida, even with opportunities to grow the company outside of the area. By staying hyperlocal, this allowed him to really keep his finger on the pulse of his properties. This way, he could hear what customers were saying or welcome a client for a site inspection. He even shakes guests’ hands when groups arrive and thanks them for their support.

It’s also important for him to meet and talk to his front-of-the-house associates and those behind the scenes to find out what’s critical to provide the best guest service experience.

Harris Rosen’s philanthropic efforts are well known. Tell us why these efforts have been important to him?

Mr. Rosen was championing corporate social responsibility before it was a buzz word. Mr. Rosen and his foundations provide free preschool and college or trade school scholarships to children in two of Orlando’s underserved communities. Those college scholarships cover tuition, room and board and books, with the goal that students can graduate debt-free. One of those communities, Tangelo Park, had a high crime rate and an extremely low high school graduation rate. Fast forward 30 years, and now crime is down to next-to-nothing and the graduation rate is almost 100%.

Mr. Rosen feels that it doesn’t matter if you’re in a gated community or an underserved community, everyone should have the same educational opportunities. This levels the playing field.