Durbin Companies, Inc., Ocean Properties and  Winegardner & Hammons, were presented with the recognition during the Marriott�s annual conference of Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites and Renaissance Hotels and Resorts franchisees.  The conference was held in Vienna, Austria.
 
Durbin Companies, based in McLean, Va., has been a Marriott franchisee for 14 years and has won the Partnership Circle Award for five consecutive years.  Durbin manages hotels in Greensville-Spartanburg, Jacksonville and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 

Second-time winner Ocean Properties of Delray Beach, Fla. manages properties in Montreal, Delray Beach and Portland, Maine. 

Winegardner & Hammons of Cincinnati, Ohio received the prestigious award for the third consecutive year. The company manages Marriott full-service hotels in Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio and Birmingham, Ala. 

In addition, 15 companies were commended for meeting or exceeding Marriott�s guest satisfaction scores.  Other categories, which recognized franchise companies for their achievements, included Revenue Premium, Best Opening, Best Conversion, Best New Product, Developer of the Year.

John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. was named Best Conversion for its Renaissance World Golf Village Resort Hotel and Convention Center located in St. Augustine, Fla.  Following its acquisition of the Renaissance brand in 1997, Marriott International, Inc. selected John Q. Hammons Hotels to develop its first new-build Renaissance properties.  The hotel management company owns the St. Augustine Renaissance Resort and has three more Renaissance hotels under development.