Ms. Horacek’s path to the hospitality industry was not a clear-cut one. Hailing from a family who was firmly entrenched in the medical field, she originally wanted to be a doctor. But she somehow found herself managing office buildings and shopping malls and before she knew it, she was giving a real estate class and met some guys from Marriott, and the rest, as they say, is history. She began her career in the hospitality industry 21 years ago as a Director of Sales for two Residence Inns in Omaha, Nebraska and within six months, was a dual general manager for the same two Residence Inns in the city. She later became the Senior Project Facilitator for the Lynx Project, an efficiency project for Marriott’s select service brands across the country, then the Regional Director for Marriott’s Extended Stay brands in New England. Kris was then promoted to Vice President, Extended Stay Lodging in 2000 and then in 2002 promoted to Vice President Market Strategy where she was responsible for pricing strategy in the Northeast Region for Marriott. In May of 2007, Kris became the General Manager of the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark where she was responsible for converting and opening a former Hyatt Hotel in suburban Charlotte. In July of 2009, she was given the added responsibilities of managing the Charlotte Marriott SouthPark. General Management USA & Canada United States North Carolina Charlotte