Hotelier Harris Rosen not only celebrated the birth of the largest of his seven properties today, but also his own birthday, as he turned 67. Rosen Hotels & Resorts is the largest independent hotel company in Florida, with a portfolio of seven Orlando hotels and resorts. With Rosen Shingle Creek, the company now owns more than 6,300 guest rooms in Central Florida, approximately 6 percent of the area's total rooms.

The Spanish revival architecture and idyllic, 230-acre setting on Shingle Creek, at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, strike a perfect balance with the resort's upscale offerings -- an award-winning David Harman-designed championship golf course, 13,000 square foot Spa at Shingle Creek and nine restaurants. A meeting planner's dream, the resort boasts 445,000 square feet of meeting/event space and one of the nation's largest column-free ballrooms, measuring 95,000 sq. ft., the size of an American football field.

Given the magnitude of the resort and its impact on the community, the grand opening event was attended by hundreds of local government and tourism industry VIPs, meeting planners, Rosen associates and media. Former Miss America Erika Dunlap entertained attendees with a stirring version of "I Believe." Rosen's most celebrated guests, however, were students from Tangelo Park Elementary School, who gathered to sing "Happy Birthday" to the hotelier and present a cake modeled after the resort. A grand display of fireworks erupted over the new resort at exactly 9:39 p.m., paying homage to the date and the address of the new resort at 9939 Universal Blvd.

"This is a landmark day for tourism in Orlando and in Florida," said Bill Peeper, president of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. "The fact that Shingle Creek booked nearly 1 million rooms before it ever opened its doors speaks volumes for the growth of the meetings industry in Orlando and the popularity of the destination among leisure travelers."
    
The $300 million-plus resort not only promises great returns for the tourism industry but also will have an astounding impact on the Central Florida economy. One of the largest building projects in the Southeast, Rosen Shingle Creek will employ 1,500 residents in full-time jobs, generating $30 million a year in income. Purchases from third-party suppliers will create an additional 1,900 permanent jobs in Orange County alone.
    
In addition to creating jobs, the resort will generate $80-90 million a year in direct output, including guest rooms, food and beverage and other services, and it will add an estimated $4.3 billion in value-added dollars and wages to the community over a 20-year period.
    
Uniquely situated on Shingle Creek, headwaters to the Florida Everglades, Rosen Shingle Creek offers seasonal canoe trips, nature trails, fishing and other eco-tourism activities, and four pools, tennis, basketball and volleyball. For reservations or information, call (866) 996-6338 or visit http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com .