It should come as no surprise to anyone that knows hospitality industry veteran Harris Rosen that his employees are family, and when crisis strikes, family takes care of each other. The Rosen Hotels & Resorts founder has a long list of charitable works and philanthropic efforts inside the Rosen family, the local communities and worldwide.
When Hurricane Irma was making its way to Florida, Rosen Hotels & Resorts implemented its Rosen Riders program, which gives employees an opportunity to bring their families to a safe environment while still serving guests who are doing the same.
“The Ride Out program has effectively been in place since the companies’ inception, but a more formalized effort was created after the opening of our first convention property, the Rosen Plaza in 1991,” said Harris Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts.
The program asks employees to volunteer to work during a crisis, and in addition to overtime pay they are offered a free hotel room and complimentary food. Families are welcome to join the employees at the hotel and food is set up in a ballroom for a reduced rate for family members.
“Our [Rosen Rider] team is provided with a safe haven for not only themselves but for their family and pets while delivering our core product and service during emergency situations,” Rosen said. “This program ensures we maintain adequate staffing levels and none of our team is concerned with commuting back and forth to work.”