Meet the Team

President and Chief Operating Officer
Rosen Hotels & Resorts

As President and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, Harris Rosen is Florida’s largest independent hotelier.

Founded in 1974, Rosen Hotels & Resorts currently features a collection of nine Central Florida hotels providing 6,694 guestrooms—approximately six percent of the Central Florida inventory. The award-winning collection includes six leisure hotels—the 728-room Rosen Inn International, 1020-room Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, 315-room Rosen Inn (closest to Universal Orlando Resort®), 640-room Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista, 134-room Midpointe Hotel and the 224 Clarion Inn and Suites at International Drive. Three luxury convention properties — the 800-room Rosen Plaza, 1334-room Rosen Centre and 1501-room Rosen Shingle Creek—combined feature 700,000 sq. ft. of versatile meeting and event space.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts owns several subsidiaries that create synergy and maximize operational efficiencies. Millennium Technology Group, founded in 1997 as an internal solution for Rosen Hotels & Resorts, is a leading provider of quality IT products and telecommunications services for the hospitality industry.

ProvInsure, Rosen’s insurance agency and risk management consulting company, was founded in 1995. Rosen Hotels & Resorts has been nationally recognized for its innovative, trend-setting associate wellness and preventative care programs as well as low-cost insurance and on-site, full-service medical facilities, all in the spirit of the Rosen Medical Center, A Place for Healing and Wellness. ProvInsure assists companies in arranging self-insured healthcare programs and primary care medical centers similar to Rosen Hotels’ nationally recognized in-house programs in addition to providing a litany of insurance related products.

Rosen’s enthusiasm for health and wellness is well-known and well-respected by his associates. An avid fitness buff and master swimmer, Rosen inspires a healthy approach to diet and exercise. He and his culinary team created Rosen’s Perfect Pizza™, a whole-wheat honey crust containing no trans fats that is sold at seven of his hotels.

Early Career

Born and raised on New York City’s lower Eastside, Rosen received a Bachelor of Science in 1961 from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. He served for three years in the United States Army as an officer in Germany and South Korea. Afterward he completed the Advanced Management course at the University of Virginia’s graduate school of business on a Hilton Corporate Scholarship.

Rosen began his career at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City as a convention salesman. He continued with the Hilton Hotels Corporation occupying various management positions in some of the larger Hilton properties. He worked as the Director of Food and Beverage Operations at the Pittsburgh Hilton, the Assistant General Manager at the Buffalo Statler/Hilton, New Yorker Hotel and the Dallas Hilton and as the General Manager at the Cape Kennedy Hilton in Florida.

Rosen then joined the Post Company of Dallas as Director of Hotel Operations where he was involved in the development and management of one of its finest resort properties in Acapulco, Mexico. He left the Post Company after several years to join the Disney Company in California in 1968 as Director of Hotel Planning for Walt Disney World in Orlando. During his tenure, he was intimately involved in overseeing the design and development of the Contemporary Resort Hotel, the Polynesian Village Hotel, and the Fort Wilderness campground as part of the team that opened Walt Disney World in 1971.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts

Rosen left Disney and in 1974 purchased the 256-room Quality Inn on International Drive in Orlando (later expanded to 728 rooms). Shortly thereafter, Rosen acquired the Rodeway Inn International with 251 rooms. His next venture resulted in the purchase of 14 prime acres on International Drive leading to the development of the 1,020-room Quality Inn Plaza, which was at the time the largest Quality Inn in the nation. On May 15, 1987, Rosen completed the first phase of his 640-room Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. In 2010, the property was upgraded to the Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista. That same year, Rosen chose to engage in extensive multi-million dollar renovations for his leisure hotel portfolio. 2010 also marks the year his properties were renamed under the Rosen brand: the Quality Inn Plaza became the Rosen Inn Pointe Orlando, the Quality Inn International became the Rosen Inn International and the Rodeway Inn International became the Rosen Inn closest to Universal Orlando Resort®.

On September 13, 1991, the 800-room Rosen Plaza opened its doors as the first convention hotel in the Rosen Hotels & Resorts family and completed its first fiscal year with occupancies in the mid-ninety percent range. In October 1995, Rosen opened the 1,334-room Rosen Centre, the company’s second convention hotel. Both hotels bookend the West Building of the Orange County Convention Center and are connected via pedestrian skywalks.

In 2003, Rosen acquired 255 acres east of the Orange County Convention Center and began construction of his largest property to date: the 1,501-room Rosen Shingle Creek, which opened on September 9, 2006 (Rosen’s birthday). The hotel features 524,000 gross square feet of meeting and event space and world-class amenities including the 18-hole, championship Shingle Creek Golf Club, The Spa at Shingle Creek including a full-service salon and fitness center, four outdoor swimming pools, tennis court, beach volleyball, a nature trail and more. In addition, guests enjoy 15 dining and lounging options including two nationally recognized, AAA Four Diamond restaurants—A Land Remembered and Cala Bella Italian bistro—and the full-service, 24-hour 18 Monroe Street Market.

Impassioned Philanthropist

Education and wellness have long been at the forefront of Rosen’s philanthropic endeavors. In 2002, Rosen donated a 20-acre site at the foot of Rosen Shingle Creek and $10 million to the University of Central Florida (UCF) to develop the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Ranked number two among hospitality colleges worldwide, the Rosen College opened in January 2004 with fewer than 100 students and is currently among the fastest growing colleges in the United States climbing in enrollment to more than 3,500 students to date. Rosen also funds a $2.5 million dollar scholarship endowment for UCF that is matched by the state of Florida and is funding a planned future expansion of the much acclaimed college.

Rosen strongly believes the opportunity to receive a better education can and must start as early as 2 years of age. This belief is evident in his long-time commitment to the underserved Orlando neighborhood of Tangelo Park. Since 1993, Rosen’s Tangelo Park Program has provided free preschool for all 2-, 3-, and 4-year olds who live in the Tangelo Park neighborhood. All of the neighborhood youngsters who graduate from high school and are accepted to a trade school, community college, or 4-year public college or university in Florida are provided with an all-expense paid college education to include: tuition, books, room and board—paid for by Rosen. Over the years, high school graduation rates have improved dramatically from approximately 55% to nearly 100%. To date, approximately 250 Tangelo Park youth have received full college scholarships.
In 2016, Rosen’s passion for providing hope through education opportunities led him to embark on a similar program in the Parramore neighborhood, an underserved urban community located near downtown Orlando, which is five times the size of the Tangelo Park neighborhood. Once again he provides free trade school, community college or four-year Florida public college education to high school graduates living in this community. More than 40 Parramore youth have received college scholarships. In 2017, Rosen opened the Rosen Preschool at the Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence as an extension of this program. He provides funding for a 24-classroom onsite preschool for all 2-, 3- and 4-year olds in the neighborhood.

In 2017, Rosen also announced the addition of three private college scholarships at Rollins College, located in the Orlando suburb of Winter Park, to be made available to recipients of both scholarships programs.

Complementing both programs, Rosen has, since 2008, funded an alternative spring break for Cornell University students who visit and engage in a week-long mentoring program with the Tangelo Park and more recently Parramore students.

In September 2009, the Jack and Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center, named in honor of Rosen’s parents, opened its doors. Rosen’s contribution of $5.1 million provided for a state-of-the-art facility and school that now serves approximately 150 students, ages 2 months to 5-years old. In 2016, an additional $3.7 million multi-purpose theatre was donated by Rosen to accommodate the tremendous growth and popularity of the center.

Rosen served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Bethune-Cookman University Statue Project with the late Dr. Dorothy Height, President Emeriti of the National Council of Negro Women. In January 2005, the project team unveiled a statue sculpted of America’s beloved Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune including fountains and landscaping on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University, which Dr. Bethune founded in 1904.

Rosen’s contributions have reach far beyond Orlando to other communities in need. Rosen Hotels has long contributed to Haiti relief, providing on-going medical and school supplies as well as hosting the “Water for Haiti Gala” in 2005 that raised $350,000 to send water filtration devices to Haiti, which are capable of providing clean drinking water to approximately 200,000 people. In 2010, Rosen launched the Haiti Relief Rebuild Sustain program. Through Rosen’s personal funding and charity, this philanthropic initiative raised $650,000 to provide aid to the victims of the 2010 earthquake. After 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, Rosen rebuilt more than 100 Haitian homes devastated by the hurricane. The new homes were unveiled in 2017 and feature hurricane-resistant features and more modern facilities.

Accolades

Rosen is a member of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen and the Waldorf Astoria Distinguished Alumni Association. He is also the past president of Visit Orlando. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center and on the dean’s advisory board of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at UCF. Through the years, Rosen has been honored to receive a number of distinguished accolades including, to name a few:

2023 – Shriners Humanitarian Award
2022 – Leroy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award
2020 – Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference Public/Private Achievement Award
2018 – I-4 Business Magazine Business Leader of the Year
2018 – Orlando Business Journal’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Diversity in Business Award
2018 – World Health Care Congress, Lifetime Achievement Diamond Award — Health Benefits Innovation
2018 – World Health Care Congress, Lifetime Achievement Diamond Award — Public Leadership
2018 – International Drive YMCA facility becomes the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center
2018 – Ambassador for the Poor Award, Food for the Poor
2017 – Orlando Business Journal’s CEO of the Year
2017 – Orlando Business Journal’s Philanthropist of the Year
2017 – International Drive Resort Area Chamber’s Harris Rosen Philanthropy Award (named in his honor as an annual award)
2016 – Citizen of the Year Award by the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center
2016 – Outstanding Community Supporter of Education Award by Beta Xi Chapter of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa
2016 – Inducted into the U. S. Army ROTC National Hall of Fame
2015 – The King Center Coretta Scott King A.N.G.E.L. Award
2015 – Orange County Public Schools’ Philanthropist Hall of Fame
2015 – American Heart Association Gary Sain “Go Red” Health Champion Award
2014 – Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center’s Dinner of Tribute Honoree
2013 – NAACP Humanitarian Award
2013 – Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Humanitarian Award
2012 – 100 Black Men, Inc. Chairman’s Award
2011 – Cornell University Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year 2011
2011 – Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame Inductee
2010 – Visit Florida Tourism Hall of Fame Award Inductee

Personal
Rosen has four children, Jack, Joshua, and Shayna who live in Orlando, and Adam Michael Rosen, who passed away on November 23, 2018.

General Manager

Dan’s goal as General Manager is to maintain Rosen Shingle Creek as one of the premier resort destinations in the country. He wholeheartedly believes in the spirit of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, which places an emphasis on associate morale, satisfaction, and fair treatment. He believes that hiring good leadership translates to well-respected associates who then provide great guest service. Dan firmly believes in intentional DEI initiatives and instills a like-mindedness within his leadership team.

Dan’s background in the hospitality industry is extensive. He earned a bachelor of science in hospitality management from Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduating, he held a variety of food and beverage management positions including at the Grand Hyatt New York and the New York Marriott Marquis. In March 1990, Dan directed catering sales and served as part of the pre-opening team for the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. A little more than five years later, Dan joined Rosen Hotels & Resorts as the director of conference management. Subsequently he was promoted to general manager of the Rosen Centre Hotel. Dan has served as general manager of Rosen Shingle Creek since pre-opening and continues to enjoy a nearly 3-decade career with Rosen Hotels & Resorts.

Dan currently serves on Visit Orlando Board of Directors and is involved in multiple local industry-related initiatives, including the Universal Boulevard Property Owners Association, International Drive CRA Advisory Board, Orange County’s Sports Incentive Commission, and the AH&LA Resort Committee. When he is not working, Dan enjoys spending time with his family. His interests include the arts (theatre in particular), fishing, travel, and epicurean adventures.

Resident Manager

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 15
• Birthplace: U.S. Virgin Islands
• Martin Bonventre attended the Cesar Ritz Swiss Hospitality Institute in Washington Connecticut
• Martin’s favorite food off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is the Bourbon Burger served at the newly redesigned Tobias Burgers & Brews.
• Martin is a guest speaker for restaurant management courses at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Valencia College.

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 27
• Birthplace: Rhinebeck, New York
• Attended Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.
• As chair member of Visit Orlando, the city’s official destination organization, Todd served the Convention Sales Committee for two years.
• Todd’s favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is to play a round of golf or attend a sporting event.

Director of Sales & Marketing

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 13
• Birthplace: New Jersey
• Katie’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the sense of community in the working environment.
• Her favorite thing to do in Orlando is to explore the nature preserves, lakes, and rivers.
• Katie has volunteered for back-to-school supply drives that aid the Tangelo Park community, Habitat for Humanity, and the Second Harvest food drive.

Director of Conference Management

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 13
• Birthplace: Smithtown, Long Island, New York
• Gary attended Pace University.
• His favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is play golf.
• Gary’s favorite dish off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is Mi Casa Tequila Taqueria’s Taco Trio.

Executive Chef

• Joined Rosen Hotels & Resorts: December 2021
• Raised in New England, Chef Dunton grew up fishing and clamming in Cape Cod, falling in love with fresh seafood and the creations his family made through the years. Coming from an Armenian and Italian heritage, food was always a big production in his family, with dishes made from scratch.
• Dunton’s love for the ocean and seafood shines in A Land Remembered’s flavorful, pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass and the perfectly seasoned Ancho-Rubbed Salmon.
• Dunton’s Italian heritage is also on full display at Rosen Shingle Creek’s Tuscan-inspired Cala Bella, the resort’s AAA Four Diamond signature Italian restaurant.
• For Chef Dunton, igniting flavor, creating culinary and bringing a sense of family to his craft are his ways of giving back. When he is not hard at work, creating delicacies at Rosen Shingle Creek, you can find him with his finest creation, his family.

Director of Security

Director of Food & Beverage

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 12
• Birthplace: Morocco
• Karima’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the family-like atmosphere and teamwork within the Food & Beverage Department.
• Her favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is to visit the SeaWorld Park.
• Karima’s favorite food to order off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is A Land Remembered’s Bistro Steak Bruschetta and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake.

Director of Housekeeping

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 22
• Birthplace: St. Cloud, Minnesota
• Nancy attended Alexandria Technical College.
• Nancy’s favorite thing to do in Orlando is to kayak in different lakes in the area and bike on the West Orange Trail. Orlando is also a great location for finding hidden treasures in antique stores, flea markets, thrift shops and garage sales.
• Nancy mentors for high school programs and enjoys participating in 5K runs to benefit charities.

Director of Laundry

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 2
• Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Nick attended Widener University.
• Nick’s favorite things about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts are the great work/life balance and the amazing people he gets to work with daily.
• Nick is a monthly contributor to the Ask the Expert panel for the publication, American Laundry News.

Director of Banquets

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 22
• Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
• Jerry’s favorite things about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts are the friendly environment and the opportunity for growth.
• Jerry enjoys Orlando’s many parks and restaurants.
• His favorite dish off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is A Land Remembered’s Premium Creekstone All-Natural Bone-In Ribeye.
• Jerry volunteers with A Gift for Teaching, Central Florida’s primary provider of free school supplies.

Director of Banquet Set-Up

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 9
• Birthplace: Santurce, Puerto Rico
• Richard’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the people that he works with.
• Richard’s favorite fun things to do in Orlando are bowling, golfing, dining, and dancing in Orlando’s many entertainment venues.
• Richard has participated in Cancer Walk at Downtown Orlando’s Lake Eola.

Director of Front Office

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 12
• Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
• Michael graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF).
• His favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is to visit Downtown Winter Garden with his family to see the farmers market and local restaurants.
• His favorite dish to order off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is the Clubhouse Grille’s Blackened Grouper Sandwich, served with spicy caper rémoulade.

Chief Engineer

Director of Catering

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 12
• Birthplace: New York City
• Attended State University of New York.
• Amy’s favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is to visit the SeaWorld theme park.
• She’s a big fan of the Lima Guacamole served tableside at Rosen Shingle Creek®’s restaurant, Mi Casa Tequila Taqueria.

Director of Spa and Recreation

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 15
• Birthplace: Miami, Florida
• Jennifer attended the University of Central Florida.
• Jennifer’s favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is seeing concerts at the Amway Arena in Downtown Orlando, or going on new adventures with her family.
• Her favorite dish to have for lunch is Tobias Burgers & Brews’ Baja Chicken Flat Bread. For dinner, Jennifer prefers A Land Remembered’s Five Diamond Prime Beef New York Strip.
• Jennifer participates in community charity walks such as Reindeer Run and the St. Jude Walk to End Childhood Cancer.

Director of Golf

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 1 year
• Birthplace: Orlando, FL
• Ryan attended the University of Central Florida.
• His favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is play golf.
• Ryan’s favorite hole at Shingle Creek Golf Club is 14, because it is a true risk reward hole, try to drive the green and get an eagle, or hit it in the water and make a double!

Executive Sous Chef

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 23
• Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
• Jeffrey attended the University of Michigan.
• Jeffrey’s favorite thing to do in Orlando is to go camping.
• Jeffrey volunteers with A Taste of the Nation, an Orlando charity dedicated to helping feed hungry children, and Relay for Life, a community-based fundraising event of the American Cancer Society.

Garde Manger Chef

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 22
• Birthplace: Jamaica
• David’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the trust and confidence that the company has in him.
• His favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is to play golf.
• David enjoys participating in community service events such as Taste of Nations, Cattle Baron Ball, and the Annual Cancer Survivors’ Camp.

Executive Housekeeper

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 25
• Birthplace: Caguas, Puerto Rico
• Fred attended the ITT Technical Institute of Hotel Management.
• Fred’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the non-corporate atmosphere, which allows associates to make a difference within the organization without having to jump through hoops.
• Fred’s awards: 1998 Manager of the Quarter (Rosen Plaza®), 2002 Manager of the Quarter (Rosen Centre®), 2002 and 2007 Service Advisory Council Golden Pillar Award (for outstanding service).
• Fred is a guest lecturer at the University of Central Florida’s College of Hospitality Management.

VIP Concierge Manager

Landscape Manager

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 11
• Birthplace: New Mexico
• Travis’ favorite dish off the Rosen Shingle Creek® menu is A Land Remembered’s Premium Creekstone All-Natural Bone-In Ribeye.
• Travis Weitz is a past Golden Pillar recipient, a company award for outstanding service.
• Travis volunteers with charities such as Toys for Tots and Christmas Food Drive.

Group Housing Manager

• Joined Rosen Hotels & Resorts in 2008
• Birthplace: New York City
• Mary Lou’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is how everyone is close to each other. For her, it really feels like working with family.
• Her favorite fun thing to do in Orlando is going to Disney with her friends for a magical day!
• In 2008, Mary Lou received the Commitment to Excellence Award at our sister property, Rosen Shingle Creek.

Sales & Catering Manager of Fine Dining

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 11
• Birthplace: Queens, New York City
• Attended the University of Central Florida.
• Alison values the many opportunities to learn and grow within Rosen Hotels & Resorts.
• Her favorite restaurant at the Rosen properties is Rosen Shingle Creek’s signature steakhouse, A Land Remembered, where she always treats herself to lobster mac and cheese.
• Alison takes advantage of Orlando’s many outdoor opportunities by cycling on nature trails, riding park rides at Disney World or Universal Studios, and relaxing on the beach with friends.

Food & Beverage Outlets Manager

• Years with Rosen Hotels & Resorts: 6
• Birthplace: Orlando, Florida
• Maci attended the University of Central Florida.
• Maci’s favorite thing about working at Rosen Hotels & Resorts is getting to work for a company that truly cares for its employees. She enjoys working with people who take pride in the work they do.
• Her favorite fun things to do in Orlando are spending time outdoors and visiting theme parks.

Assistant Director of Food & Beverage