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 BY GINGER STREJCEK • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLIOTT'S STUDIO What does it take to run one of the most luxurious hotels in the country? Just ask former basketball coach Debbie Karcanes. Over the past 20 years, she has set some impressive records in the industry, most recently as the GM of Atlanta’s Four-Diamond gem, the Renaissance Waverly Hotel. “Coaching is what I do every day,” said Karcanes, who works with a staff of 500 at the award-winning property in Cobb County’s prestigious Platinum Triangle. “All the principals of coaching a sports team are very similar to being a GM. You have to have the right people, you have to have realistic goals for what you want to accomplish and you have to do the proper training to be successful.” A petite powerhouse who hails from upstate New York, Karcanes coached women’s basketball and volleyball years ago at Nazareth College in Rochester. She got restless, sold her house, packed her bags and headed to Colorado, where she found the ski slopes, as well as a job at an independent hotel in Denver. She later joined the Stouffer Hotels, now in the Renaissance ranks, earning accolades and advancements over the past 17 years. As general manager of the Renaissance Waverly in Marietta, Karcanes oversees operations of the 521-room hotel which boasts 60,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants, two lounges and a health club. She supervises 20 departments (loss prevention and laundry to room service and revenue), 50 managers and 400 associates. “I am ultimately responsible for the financial, associate, guest and owner welfare,” said Karcanes, who came on board in 2002 and has since boosted the hotel’s scores in GSS (Guest Satisfaction Survey), AOS (Associate Opinion Survey) and ESS (Event Satisfaction Survey). In 2004, the Renaissance Waverly was named “Hotel of the Year” for Renaissance Hotels & Resorts of North America and surpassed Marriott Rewards enrollment goals by 128%. The secret to success? Team work. “Involve everyone in decision making,” she said. “You can’t tell people what to do. You involve every associate in setting goals and action steps toward completing those goals. You listen to the people that deal with guest and associate concerns every day. It’s a team effort.” This head coach doesn’t just lead her players, she rallies them. So much so that several managers followed Karcanes to Atlanta from Renaissance’s St. Louis property, named “Hotel of the Year” under her tutelage in 2001. “People love to work for her,” said Terrie Ward, PR director at the Waverly. “She is not a micro manager, but lets people do their job. Yet she is hands-on and establishes accountability throughout her organization.” A graduate of the State University at Brockport, where she earned her bachelor’s and teaching degrees, Karcanes had no formal training in the hospitality industry when she first started out. She climbed the corporate ladder through years of determination and devotion – with countless training sessions along the way. Her typical office hours are 7 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday and an occasional Sunday. Karcanes is also active in the community, as a member of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and a board member for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Cobb County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Atlanta Coalition. “I love living in Atlanta,” Karcanes said. “Working at this hotel is the best part. I couldn’t ask for a better group of dedicated people to work with. I’m very fortunate to be here.” |
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