Terry Waite stands out among his peers. At 6 feet 7 inches tall, the former hostage negotiator turned hostage is imposing in both stature and outlook.
An author and humanitarian, Waite spent nearly five years in captivity in Lebanon, largely in solitary confinement, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A compelling speaker, he captivated a full ballroom at The Peninsula Beverly Hills during the 10th annual GT Tested Reader Survey awards celebration, where he spoke passionately about forgiveness and the lessons drawn from his ordeal. Waite was 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 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.
The gala also launched Global Traveler’s annual silent auction benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Waite urged attendees and award winners to contribute to the charity’s efforts.
“And so the work is important,” Waite continued. “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.”
In December 2012, more than two decades after his release, Waite returned to Beirut and met with some of his former captors.
“The only way forward is for people to put the past in the past and begin to build a new future,” he told the hushed audience. “Idealistic, yes, but there’s nothing wrong in having high ideals.”
Global Traveler’s GT Tested Reader Survey awards are among the most respected honors in the luxury business travel industry. Winners are determined by the results of an open-ended reader survey.