Why Rosen Hotels & Resorts Accommodations Extend to Caring for Its Associates’ Health
// By Lisa D. Ellis //
Harris Rosen, Founder and President of Rosen Hotels & Resorts
While staff members at Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando work hard to meet the needs of their guests, Harris Rosen, the founder and president of this seven-hotel (close to 6,500 guestrooms) company, also goes to great lengths to take care of the health care needs of his “associates,” the organization’s moniker for employees.
Creating an On-Site Health Clinic
Rosen was on the cutting edge more than two decades ago when he realized that despite the rising costs of health care in the United States, the traditional health care insurance system was not living up to the needs of his associates, leaving many of them struggling to afford their own care. Since he recognized that healthy associates are much more likely to be happy and productive, he decided to create something that would be more effective than what already existed. His solution was to self-insure all of his associates, while also extending this health coverage to their families.
At the same time, Rosen started his own on-site health facility to make sure that all of the health services were easy to access and cost-effective so everyone would benefit. His approach is similar to the medical home models being implemented today.
Ahead of the Curve
While Rosen’s initiative was started long before health reform was in place, his goals of promoting healthy living and quality services were certainly in line with the direction of the current health care paradigm. And while the on-site medical facility is not the only corporate-run option that exists, one unique feature about it is that Rosen has his own company operating the medical facility, rather than outsourcing the responsibility to a health services company. “This decision was made primarily because of our passion and concern for the well-being of our associates, who we consider to be family,” he explains. “We wanted the ability to control our menu of services without constraint, and to be able to continuously adjust and grow for the highest good of our associates.”