Terry Waite stands out both for his physical presence and his outlook on life. At 6 feet 7 inches tall, the former hostage negotiator turned hostage is a commanding figure whose experiences have shaped a thoughtful philosophy.
An author and humanitarian, Waite spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s held captive in Lebanon, enduring long periods of solitary confinement. As an engaging speaker, he captivated a full ballroom at The Peninsula Beverly Hills during the 10th annual GT Tested Reader Survey awards celebration, sharing moving reflections on forgiveness and the lessons he gained from his ordeal. Waite had also been the guest of honor at Global Traveler’s inaugural awards event a decade earlier.
“Someone said to me this evening, ‘Well, coming here from my background to this environment where we’re engaged in luxury travel, if you like, what a difference, what a big gap,’” Waite recalled. “And I say, ‘No, the work that is done here is essential because it keeps the economy going, and without the economy, without a successful, vibrant, lively economy, we would all be flat.’”
The awards celebration, held for the third consecutive year at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, was sponsored by China Airlines, Incheon International Airport, Posadas and LifeMiles by Avianca. China Airlines hosted a special Dom Pérignon auction; winners included Tau Keun Han of Asiana Airlines, Carol Anne Anderson of Japan Airlines, Khaled Al Mehairbi of Etihad Airways, Jon Armstrong of National Car Rental and Don Wyse of UBS.
In addition to honoring industry leaders, the gala marked the start of Global Traveler’s annual silent auction benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Waite urged attendees and award recipients to contribute to the charity effort.
“And so the work is important,” he said. “And it’s also important, too, that we do our best, individually and collectively as you are doing, to support those who in one way or another are less fortunate than ourselves — The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and others whom you help in the course of your daily life and daily work. Thank you for that.”
More than two decades after his release, Waite returned to Beirut in December 2012 and met with some of his former captors. He described that reunion as part of a broader effort to move forward.
“The only way forward is for people to put the past in the past and begin to build a new future,” Waite told the attentive audience. “Idealistic, yes, but there’s nothing wrong in having high ideals.”
Global Traveler’s GT Tested Reader Survey awards are widely regarded among the most prestigious honors in the luxury business travel sector. Winners are determined by an open-ended survey of readers, reflecting the voices and experiences of frequent travelers and industry professionals.