The Best GM

It hasn't been confirmed yet, but Rick Medwedeff suspects that the prize for being named the Marriott Hotels and Resorts General Manager of the Year is an all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere in the world.

Medwedeff, 53, is thinking someplace exotic in Asia would be nice. “It could be a Ritz,” he says with a grin (Ritz-Carlton is owned by Marriott International).

It's a fitting reward for Medwedeff, who celebrated 30 years of service to Marriott May 24. He's currently the general manager of the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa, overseeing the 775 employees of the sprawling resort that underwent a $200 million renovation in 2007.