So Scottsdale January 2019

Irma Rosario
Lead Navigator, Renaissance
Phoenix Downtown Hotel
Irma Rosario grew up in New Jersey, where
most of her family owned small businesses.
“After high school, it was natural
for me to study business management,
assuming I would eventually open a small
business, too,” Rosario says.
But then, she fell in love … with Phoenix.
“I vacationed here in April of 2006,”
Rosario says. “I went back to Jersey, packed
my bags, and moved here the same year.”
During the first several years here, she
threw herself into the fundraising and event
planning industries while soaking in everything
from Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row Arts
District to the Downtown Phoenix Walking
Ghost Tour.
“My pet peeve is when people say
there is nothing to do here outside of golf
and spas,” Rosario says. “From the museums
and art installations to restaurants and
bars, there are about 100 things happening
at any given time downtown.”
Eager to share “her Phoenix” with others,
Rosario set her sights on becoming a
concierge, or navigator, at the Renaissance
Phoenix Downtown Hotel in 2014.
“The navigator role at the Renaissance
is unique in that it features all of the traditional
responsibilities of a concierge,
but it also focuses on building community
connections,” she says, explaining that navigators
take a lead role in bringing in local
artists, musicians and other vendors to the
hotel as well as helping guests navigate
their actual stays.
In 2014, however, all of the navigator
roles were filled. Undeterred, Rosario took
a front desk position until a spot became
available two years later.
“Since then, I’ve not only taken on the
role of navigator – and now lead navigator
– but helped reimagine the position into an
all-encompassing role as an ambassador to
this city for our guests,” Rosario says.
This includes overseeing the hotel’s
participation in Renaissance Hotels’ Global
Day of Discovery, which takes place annually
at the brand’s 160 hotels around the
world and focuses on helping guests and
locals alike discover the hidden gems that
give neighborhoods their soul, from underground
art scenes to exotic local cuisines.
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