Custom Painted Rocking Chairs to be Displayed at Rosen Plaza® and Auctioned to Highest Bidders During Special Month-Long Holiday Event

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
(407) 639-4212, rhubler@RosenHotels.com

Photography available at https://www.rosenplaza.com/media-press/press-gallery/

ORLANDO (Oct. 3, 2014) — Rosen Plaza® Hotel certainly will be rockin’ this holiday season, but not just with Christmas music… The Orlando hotel announced today this year’s “Chair-ity for a Claus” event, in which custom-painted rocking chairs, sponsored by local businesses and individuals, will be sold via silent auction to raise money for the Central Florida chapter of the American Cancer Society, in honor of cancer survivors.

Themes for the chairs are expected to vary widely. Approximately 35 chairs are expected to be included in the “Chair-ity for a Claus” event.

The silent auction opens Nov. 25, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving; with a kickoff reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the kickoff reception are $35 per person, which includes one signature drink, light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The evening also includes performances by the “Chair-ity Carolers” and photo opportunities with Mrs. Claus. Story time and photo opportunities with Mrs. Claus also will take place on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 from 12 to 2 p.m. and Dec. 6 from 6 to 7 p.m.

The silent auction closes on Dec. 25 at 5.00 p.m., however, the rocking chairs will be on display in the Rosen Plaza® lobby and public areas through Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Additionally for those that really want a particular chair, there will be a “Buy Now” option.Winners will be notified by Dec. 26.

Sponsorship packages are now available, ranging from $100 to $5,000. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society, Central Florida chapter. Those who wish to decorate a chair for the event may sponsor at the Partner level or above. The Partner level sponsorship is $175 and includes a rocking chair to decorate; recognition on the sponsor wall; logo and sponsor signage displayed next to the chair; and two tickets to the kickoff reception on Nov. 25.

Platinum Presenting Sponsorships are available for $5,000 and include a rocking chair to decorate; company or individual name on the event invitations as a co-sponsor for the reception;
a 6-foot sponsor table at the reception; recognition as a Platinum Presenting Sponsor at the reception and throughout the month-long silent auction; recognition on the sponsor wall; logo and sponsor signage displayed next to the decorated chair; recognition on the “Chair-ity for a Claus” Facebook page; eight tickets to the kickoff reception; and two tickets to the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Barons’ Ball, Feb. 7, 2015.

For more information or to purchase a sponsorship, contact Victoria Hall at vhall@rosenplaza.com or call (407)996-1713.

For more than 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has worked relentlessly to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we help people stay well, help people get well, find cures, and fight back against cancer. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.

Located on International Drive across the street from the Pointe Orlando outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex, the recently renovated 800-room Rosen Plaza® provides its guests with resort-style luxury in a world-class vacation destination. Conveniently situated just minutes from Orlando’s world-famous theme parks, Universal Orlando®, Sea World® and Walt Disney World®, Rosen Plaza® is only 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport.

Guests are invited to enjoy a variety of amenities such as the outdoor heated pool and whirlpool and the Fitness center with “Life Fitness” cardiovascular and exercise machines and a full-range of free weights. Shingle Creek Golf Club, recently named by Golf Digest as one of the “Four Star Best Places to Play,” is just minutes away and offers complimentary transportation and preferred tee times for hotel guests.

Four on-site restaurants include Jack’s Place with casual fine dining. Café Matisse offers buffets as well as full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The Lite Bite is open 24 hours a day and serves deli sandwiches, fresh pizza and snacks. For more information, visit www.rosenplaza.com or call 800-627-8258.

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Dozens of Events and More Than 2.3 million Holiday Lights Will Spread the Spirit of The Season at All Seven Orlando Rosen Hotels & Resorts

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
407-639-4212 , rhubler@RosenHotels.com

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ORLANDO (November 6, 2013) – With the holiday season just around the corner, plans are well under way for the extravaganza of festivities planned at Rosen Hotels & Resorts Orlando properties. This year, all seven of the Rosen Hotel & Resorts in Orlando will participate with bedazzling in holiday décor and more than 2.3 million indoor and outdoor lights, arts and cultural performances, plus a smattering of free experiences for guests of all ages to enjoy.

To allow everyone to take advantage of all the programming and festivities on deck, a complimentary shuttle will transport guests between all seven hotels on select dates in December. Departure times can be found at the front desk and posted in the lobby at each property. Special holiday packages and guest room rates are also available on select dates.

Rosen Hotel & Resorts will officially kick off the holidays on Thursday, December 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rosen Inn International, 7600 International Drive, Orlando, when an official tree will be lit and real snow will fall in the hotel’s beautifully adorned courtyard. Hosted by Harris Rosen, President & COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, the kick-off event is free and open to the general public and hotel guests. The official opening to the holidays will also feature fun festivities such as a deejay, carolers, holiday Karaoke, photo booth, winter characters for holiday photos and a cash bar.

While there is a charge for dining and other selected activities, many of events at each of the hotels are offered at no charge and are open to anyone in the community who cares to share in the spirit of the season. For a comprehensive list of the holiday events including specific details such as date, location and any cost, visit www.rosenhotels.com/holidays.

HOLIDAY EVENTS FROM FAMILY TO FANCY

Capturing the true spirit of the holiday season, two hotels will host events to benefit local charities. For the second year, the Rosen Shingle Creek® lobby will showcase a Runway to Hope holiday tree with ornaments for sale to benefit the charity, while Rosen Centre® will showcase a lobby tree decorated with doggy bows and puppy paw prints to benefit Canine Companions for Independence. Rosen Centre® will also host free celebrity holiday storybook readings with Fred Schneider from the B52s and local Food Network talent Emily Ellyn to benefit CCI. The storybook readings are Sunday, December 8 and 15 from 3 to 5 p.m., with sales of ornaments and books to benefit CCI.

New this year, Rosen Centre® invites holiday revelers to join them poolside, not for a swim, but for a skate! The hotel will offer ice skating on an outdoor rink located next to its palm tree-lined, tropical swimming pool for a true Florida holiday experience. The ice skating is available select days throughout December and will include plenty for guests to enjoy including interactive face painting, holiday characters, deejay, balloon art, photo booth and more.

Rosen Plaza® celebrates the season with its first-ever free Chanukah Family Festival on Sunday, December 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. This community event will feature children’s games and activities, bounce houses, carnival games, traditional food stations, dreidel spinning contests, a latke cook-off among Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ chefs and musical entertainment. The hotel will also celebrate the Eight Nights of Chanukah starting Wednesday, November 27 with traditional music, treats and the lighting at 6 p.m. nightly of a seven-foot Menorah, located in the hotel’s lobby.

Rosen Shingle Creek® celebrates its 6^th Annual Holiday Lobby Showcase featuring free community entertainment amidst the hotel lobby’s lavish holiday decorations and festooned fireplace. Guests will enjoy the Elizabeth Parsons School of Dance and Windermere Ballet Community Theater performing selections from the Nutcracker Ballet on Friday nights in December and a variety of ballet, tap and contemporary holiday dances performed by Miriam and Val’s School of Dance and the Sanford Soda Pops on Saturday nights. New this year is the hotel’s European Winter Fair, Sunday, December 15 and 22, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., featuring an outdoor European gift mart and culinary crafting with exquisite gifts, crafts, cocktails, chocolate workshops and cookie decorating, among booth offerings. Finally, the hotel reprieves the popular Winter Wonderland Festival for a second year, Friday, December 13 and 20 and Saturday, December 14 and 21, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., transforming the hotel grounds with gently falling snow, holiday carolers, the Shingle Creek Express train, a beautifully adorned 25-foot Christmas tree in the Rose Garden, holiday movies, karaoke, winter characters such as Snowflake Fairies and more. New additions include Christmas wagon rides, the first-ever “Live Remote Controlled Toys” and live Rosen Reindeer with Santa visiting from the North Pole.

The company’s four leisure hotels – Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista, Rosen Inn International, Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando and Rosen Inn closet to Universal – invite families to visit each hotel’s lobby to write and mail letters to Santa via a special North Pole mailbox. On select nights, little ones can catch a glimpse of busy elves as they make their rounds emptying the boxes of wish-filled letters to deliver them to Santa. The elves will also share holiday cheer with story telling and sing-a-longs, while families can capture holiday moments with a special photo booth. For a girlfriend’s holiday getaway or for the arts and crafts enthusiast, the four hotels have created the “Making Memories, Scrapbooker’s Delight” package December 6 and 13 that includes a special evening of wine, cheese and scrapbooking.

HOLIDAY FEASTS AND DINING EVENTS

With more than 15,000 pounds of turkey and close to 6,500 pounds of ham to be served by Rosen chefs this season, feasts and holidays go hand-in-hand at Rosen Plaza®, Rosen Centre® and Rosen Shingle Creek®. Guests are invited to enjoy extensive holiday buffets with unlimited wine or champagne on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, as well as special menus and dining options at each hotel’s fine dining and casual buffet restaurants throughout the season.

Rosen Shingle Creek® hosts its annual Nutcracker Tea with English-style service and ballet performances on Sunday, December 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., while Food Network personality Emily Ellyn is back for another “Mad Men” holiday cocktail party Saturday, December 7 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Ellyn will stir up retro-rad fun with cocktail making, hors d’oeuvre tasting and holiday cooking demos.

Sunday, December 8 and 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Santa and the Rosen Centre® chefs will show guests young and young-at-heart the art of cake pop decorating. The hands-on event is included with the purchase of the Café Gauguin lunch buffet and includes a visit from Santa, holiday carolers and other activities. Santa returns to the buffet on Friday, December 6 and 13 and Saturday, December 7 and 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. to visit and help children write letters, included in the purchase of the Café Gauguin dinner buffet.

Santa will also make a stop at Rosen Plaza®’s breakfast and gift event at Café Matisse Saturday, December 7, 14 and 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Santa will visit with children, pose for photos, as well as help each child select a gift that can be wrapped. The holiday extras are included in the purchase price of the buffet. On Friday and Saturday nights beginning December 8 through 21 from 6 to 11 p.m., the hotel’s lobby lounge will come alive with the sounds of the season including carolers, Classic String Duo and live jazz courtesy of the Solid State Trio. The lounge will also offer special holiday drink specials.

ROSEN HOTELS & RESORTS HOLIDAYS BY THE NUMBERS

• 2.3 million holiday lights
• 15,236 pounds of turkey
• 8,400 glasses of champagne
• 6,420 pounds of ham
• 3,670 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 1,530 pounds of cranberries
• 408 poinsettias

All seven Rosen Hotels & Resorts are centrally located within minutes of Orlando’s world-famous theme parks, attractions, shopping and entertainment. Each offers complimentary hardwired and Wifi internet access and complimentary daily scheduled transportation to select theme parks (reservations required). More than 30 dining and lounging options are available among the seven hotels to please any palate — from buffet dining and 24-hour onsite deli/convenience stores to tapas, sushi, flatbreads and Rosen’s Perfect Pizza. In addition, Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista, Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, Rosen Inn International and Rosen Inn closest to Universal feature a Kids Eat Free Program in their buffet restaurants, while upscale dining is available at Jack’s Place at Rosen Plaza®, Everglades at Rosen Centre® and AAA Four Diamond A Land Remembered steakhouse and Cala Bella Italian Bistro at Rosen Shingle Creek®. Complimentary transportation is available for any hotel guest to enjoy the award-winning Shingle Creek Golf Club, The Spa at Rosen Centre® and The Spa at Shingle Creek.

For more information about holiday events, dining and overnight packages available at Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando, visit www.rosenhotels.com/holidays or call reservations at 866-337-6736.

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
407-639-4212 , rhubler@RosenHotels.com

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ORLANDO (Oct. 9, 2013) – This New Year’s Eve, Orlando visitors can enjoy a night on the town without leaving the comfort of their Orlando hotel with Rosen Plaza®’s “Last Night, Done Right” getaway. The celebratory package includes dinner and breakfast for two, as well as a special New Year’s Eve celebration.

Rosen Plaza® “Last Night, Done Right” package guests will create their own New Year’s Eve “fireworks” during a romantic dinner for two at Jack’s Place restaurant, named one of the “10 Best I-Drive Restaurants” by USA Today Travel online.  This party doesn’t end when the clock strikes midnight. Rosen Plaza®’s Backstage Nightclub & Sports Bar, International Drive’s original nightclub, will encourage guests to dance the night away and right into 2014 at the club’s New Year’s Eve party.

The special “Last Night, Done Right” package is available for the night of Dec. 31, 2013 only, and is $225, inclusive of tax, based on availability and includes:

• One (1) night in a deluxe guest room
• Dinner for two (2) at Jack’s Place featuring selections from a special New Year’s Eve three-course dinner menu
• New Year’s Day buffet breakfast for two (2) at Café Matisse
• Entry for two (2) to Backstage Nightclub & Sports Bar for the New Year’s Eve party 2014
• 25% off treatments at The Spa at Rosen Centre® and The Spa at Shingle Creek (complimentary transportation provided)
• 25% off Shingle Creek Golf Club tee times, based on availability (complimentary transportation provided)
• Complimentary parking
• Complimentary Internet and WiFi in guest rooms and public areas

The special room rate is based upon double occupancy and hotel availability. Additional room nights can be booked for $115 per night, plus tax, based on availability.  For reservations and information, go to www.rosenplaza.com or call 1-800-627-8258.  The package cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions and cannot be used with meetings, conventions or other groups.Located on International Drive across the street from the Pointe Orlando outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex, the recently renovated 800-room Rosen Plaza® provides its guests with resort-style luxury in a world-class vacation destination. Conveniently situated just minutes from Orlando’s world-famous theme parks, Universal Orlando®, Sea World® and Walt Disney World®, Rosen Plaza® is only 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport.

Guests are invited to enjoy a variety of amenities such as the outdoor heated pool and whirlpool and the Fitness center with “Life Fitness” cardiovascular and exercise machines and a full-range of free weights.  Musical favorites from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s can be enjoyed nightly at Backstage Nightclub & Sports Bar, International Drive’s original nightclub.  Shingle Creek Golf Club, recently named by Golf Digest as one of the “Four Star Best Places to Play,” is just minutes away and offers complimentary transportation and preferred tee times for hotel guests.  Four on-site restaurants include Jack’s Place with casual fine dining. Café Matisse offers buffets as well as full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The Lite Bite is open 24 hours a day and serves deli sandwiches, fresh pizza and snacks.  For more information, visit www.rosenplaza.com.

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
407-639-4212 , rhubler@RosenHotels.com

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ORLANDO (Sept. 25, 2013) – Rosen Plaza® is offering a fantastic treat this Fall for attendees of the Universal Orlando® Halloween Horror Nights® that definitely won’t trick their wallets.

Starting Sept. 26 through Nov. 2 (based on availability), when Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights® are in full fright mode, Rosen Plaza® will offer a special per night rate from $89 – prices that won’t scare patrons at all.  The special room rate is based upon double occupancy and hotel availability. Tax and gratuity are extra. Also included in the package is complimentary parking.  Internet and WiFi in guest rooms and public areas are always complimentary.  Tickets to Halloween Horror Nights® and transportation to and from the event are available for purchase through the hotel’s guest service desk.

For reservations and information, go to www.rosenplaza.com or call 1-800-627-8258.   Ask the guest services desk about purchasing tickets to Halloween Horror Nights®.

“Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights® can terrify you to the point where your hair can stand on end, but the prices at the Rosen Plaza® won’t do that,” said Victoria Hall, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Rosen Plaza®. “The Rosen Plaza® is an excellent hotel that’s conveniently located to Universal Orlando ®, which makes it an ideal lodging selection.”

Located on International Drive across the street from the Pointe Orlando outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex, the recently renovated 800-room Rosen Plaza® provides its guests with resort-style luxury in a world-class vacation destination. Conveniently situated just minutes from Orlando’s world-famous theme parks, Universal Orlando®, Sea World® and Walt Disney World®, Rosen Plaza® is only 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport.

Guests are invited to enjoy a variety of amenities such as the outdoor heated pool and whirlpool and the Fitness center with “Life Fitness” cardiovascular and exercise machines and a full-range of free weights.  Musical favorites from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s can be enjoyed nightly at Backstage Nightclub & Sports Bar, International Drive’s original nightclub.  Shingle Creek Golf Club, recently named by Golf Digest as one of the “Four Star Best Places to Play,” is just minutes away and offers complimentary transportation and preferred tee times for hotel guests.

Four on-site restaurants include Jack’s Place with casual fine dining. Café Matisse offers buffets as well as full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The Lite Bite is open 24 hours a day and serves deli sandwiches, fresh pizza and snacks.  For more information, visit www.rosenplaza.com.

New Skybridge Connects Rosen Plaza® Hotel to Convention Center’s West Building

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
407-639-4212 , rhubler@RosenHotels.com

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(l to r) Visit Orlando President & CEO George Aguel, Rosen Plaza® General Manager Gary Hudson, Rosen Hotels & Resorts VP Sales & Marketing Leslie Menichini, I-Drive Chamber Executive Director Maria Triscari, Rosen Plaza® Director of Sales & Marketing Victoria Hall, Orange County Convention Center Deputy General Manager Jan Addison, Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn, Orange County Commissioner Tiffany Russell Moore, Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Pamela Sain and Rosen Hotels & Resorts Orlando President & COO Harris Rosen

ORLANDO (Sept. 19, 2013) – Rosen Hotels & Resorts celebrates the opening of the Gary Sain Memorial Skybridge, which now connects the Rosen Plaza® with the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) West Building, with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony today at the hotel. The new skybridge completes the fourth and final link in connecting the OCCC with adjacent International Drive hotels.

Construction of the $2.5 million skybridge was funded entirely by Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Coming in well under its $3.2 million budget, the 745-foot connector was built in just over three months and will provide thousands of meetings attendees annually with a safe, weather-proof and traffic-free “commute” from their Rosen Plaza® guestrooms to the convention center.

In attendance at today’s ceremony were Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, who proclaimed the day in honor of Gary Sain, as well as Visit Orlando President & CEO George Aguel and Harris Rosen, President and COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts. They, along with other Orlando tourism industry leaders, cut a ribbon to officially open the skybridge named in honor of the previous Visit Orlando President & CEO who passed away in May 2012. Sain had led the region’s main tourism-marketing agency since 2007, bringing about reorganization, a new vision and a name change to what had for years been called the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, or Orlando CVB.

“It is with great honor and respect that we dedicate this skybridge to my friend and colleague Gary Sain,” said Rosen. “Gary worked tirelessly to build and strengthen this destination during his time with us. Rest assured, Gary’s legacy continues here today.”

“We’re excited to now offer this pedestrian skybridge from our hotel to the convention center for our meetings guests,” said Victoria Hall, Director of Sales & Marketing, Rosen Plaza®. “This is an incredible new benefit to meeting planners and important milestone in the Orlando meetings community now that all four major convention hotels are connected to the convention campus.”

The new skybridge comes on the heels of other recent improvements at Rosen Plaza®. In the past year, the hotel completed a floor-to-ceiling renovation of all 800 guest rooms. Sleeping areas were outfitted with new amenities including 32″ flat-screen TVs, mini-refrigerators and 17″ lap-top sized safes, as well as new granite-topped dressers and nightstands, and new bedding and curtains. Bathrooms were redesigned for a spa-like feel with tiled showers and tubs withmosaic glass tile accents and granite-topped vanities. The hotel’s 16 hospitality suites-the Executive, Plaza and new Junior suites-were redesigned to offer more flexible seating and updated for a crisp, contemporary feel. Carpet in all guestrooms, suites and hallways was replaced with the latest in eco-friendly technology. The hotel’s full-service and buffet restaurant, Café Matisse, received a fresh, new look and updates including new wall benches, booths and dining tables to offer more comfortable seating and more flexibility for large groups.

The 800-room Rosen Plaza® provides its guests with resort-style luxury in a world-class vacation destination. Guests at Rosen Plaza® will enjoy accommodations in a deluxe room with a variety of amenities such as the outdoor heated pool and whirlpool and the Fitness center featuring “Life Fitness” cardiovascular and exercise machines and a full-range of free weights. Four on-site restaurants include Jack’s Place, voted the number one restaurant on International Drive by Orlando Magazine, with casual fine dining. Café Matisse offers buffets as well as full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The Lite Bite is open 24 hours a day and serves deli sandwiches and snacks. For entertainment, live music is featured on Friday and Saturday nights in Backstage Nightclub & Sports Bar, International Drive’s original nightclub. The nightclub also features a live deejay on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, large dance floor, pool tables and dart boards, 50-inch LCD screen TVs throughout, free valet parking, VIP area, food menu and more.

The hotel is conveniently located on International Drive across the street from Pointe Orlando’s incredible dining and entertainment complex featuring a 20-screen IMAX® stadium-seating theatre and popular retailers. For an additional charge, guests may enjoy golf or spa treatments at Rosen Plaza®’s nearby sister properties, Rosen Shingle Creek® or Rosen Centre®. Rosen Plaza® guests also receive complimentary transportation to Shingle Creek Golf Club, The Spa at Shingle Creek and The Spa at Rosen Centre®, as well as scheduled complimentary transportation to and from Universal Orlando® Resort, Sea World Orlando® and Wet ‘n Wild Orlando.

Rosen Plaza® is only 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport. For more information, visit www.rosenplaza.com.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts owns and manages a family of seven Orlando hotels including three award-winning convention hotels-Rosen Centre®, Rosen Plaza® and Rosen Shingle Creek®-and four leisure properties in the Orlando tourist corridor-Rosen Inn International, Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, Rosen Inn closest to Universal and Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista. The three Rosen convention hotels offer the most guest rooms and combined meeting space and closest proximity to Orange County Convention Center of any other Orlando convention hotel group. For more information, visit www.rosenhotels.com.

About The Orange County Convention Center
Celebrating 30 years of success, the Orange County Convention Center is the second largest convention facility in America. Each year the OCCC attracts more than 200 events to the Central Florida area. As a result, roughly 1.4 million attendees contribute approximately $2.1 billion to the area’s economy each year. For more information about the Orange County Convention Center visit our Web site at www.occc.net.

SKYBRIDGE BY THE NUMBERS:

• Total cost-$2.5 million (under budget)
• Total length-745 feet
• Total steel tonnage-177 tons
• Total gallons of paint-645 gallons
• Construction completed in just over three months (May 28-Sept. 6)
• Connects the fourth and final surrounding International Drive hotel to the Orange County Convention Center.

For more information, contact:
Robert Hubler
407-639-4212 , rhubler@RosenHotels.com

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ORLANDO (March 21, 2013) – While Rosen Hotels & Resorts® prides itself on practicing green initiatives 24 hours a day with little fanfare or promotion, the company will be highlighting one of those hours this Saturday during the national Earth Hour celebration to help educate hotel guests about the importance of living as eco-friendly as possible.

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in which individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday March 23, 2013 to show their support for environmentally sustainable action.

The seven Orlando Rosen Hotels & Resorts® properties will be turning off all non-essential interior and exterior lighting to include the rose garden and fountains at Rosen Shingle Creek®, Rosen Centre® and Rosen Plaza®. In addition, special activities such as candlelit dinners and glow drinks for guests will be served in hotel restaurants.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts® and its seven Orlando hotels will be joining hundreds of millions of participants in more than 7,000 cities and towns, in 152 countries and territories, and across seven continents in showing support for the importance of sustainable action around the world.

“We don’t claim to be the first hotel group to implement a green meetings initiative, nor do we claim to be the experts, but we can say that we have been practicing conservation efforts for many years and continue to look for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible,” said Harris Rosen, President & COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts®.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts®’ three Orlando convention properties, the 800-room Rosen Plaza®, 1334-room Rosen Centre® and 1500-room Rosen Shingle Creek®, were each designated Two Palm Green Lodges in 2009 under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s Florida Green Lodging Program. Launched in March 2004, the Florida Green Lodging Program establishes environmental guidelines for hotels to conserve natural resources and prevent pollution.

Long before Florida’s Green Lodging program was established, Rosen Hotels & Resorts® has made efforts to be responsible stewards of the area’s resources. For example, each of the hotels offers guests the opportunity to use linens and towels more than once, and each has water-efficient toilets and washing machines. Outdoor lighting and back-of-house lighting is operated by sensors. Programmable thermostats, Energy-Star appliances and paper and newspaper recycling programs are among the many ways the hotels lessen their eco-footprint. Rosen Shingle Creek® goes as far as to convert used cooking oil into bio-fuel to operate its golf course maintenance equipment. A website www.rosengreenmeetings.com shows meeting planners the ways in which Rosen Hotels & Resorts® is already working to help the environment, provides 10 meeting planner tips for holding a greener meeting and offers numerous links to learning more about “going green.”

Rosen Hotels & Resorts® also offers its associates the opportunity to conserve resources by offering Lynx bus passes via a payroll deduction program, posts a directory of associates interested in carpooling and offers alternate work schedules of four 10-hour days in certain departments to help reduce gas costs.

These energy-saving programs are imperceptible to hotel guests, proving that upscale accommodations don’t have to waste resources such as water and energy, to provide a superior guest experience. “Guests may never notice the small changes we’ve made to help save our planet, but we do them because it’s simply the right thing to do,” said Rosen. “Those guests who do take note applaud our efforts because they, too, are socially responsible citizens who are concerned about the effects man has on his environment.”

Over the past 38 years, Rosen Hotels & Resorts® has grown from 256 to approximately 6,300 rooms, approximately six percent of the total guest rooms in Central Florida. Today, the Rosen family of hotels includes three award-winning meetings properties — Rosen Shingle Creek®, Rosen Centre® and Rosen Plaza® — and four leisure properties — Quality Inn International, Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, Rosen Inn closest to Universal and Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista. All seven Rosen Hotels are located in the Orlando tourism corridor and remain committed to providing outstanding value for all guests. For more information, visit www.rosenhotels.com or call 866-33-ROSEN.