For the third year in a row, global traveler joined with the magnificent Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles to fete the West Coast winners of the Annual GT Tested Reader Survey awards. The front lawn of the hotel was transformed into a replica of ancient Rome, the 2007 GT readers’ choice for Best International Business City. More than 100 guests sampled a menu inspired by the Italian city, sipped cocktails and mingled under the stars in an elegant setting complemented by sparkling chandeliers and Roman columns. An Italian string band serenaded the revelers with tunes that floated melodiously through the crisp evening air.

Each year, only the most elite members of the travel and hospitality industry attend the invitation-only event; an evening of celebration made even more memorable because of the strong partnership between Global Traveler and Hotel Bel-Air.

“Guests of the Hotel Bel-Air are readers of Global Traveler, and vice versa. With such an intertwined demographic, the Hotel Bel-Air is the perfect venue for our West Coast reception,” said Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO, Global Traveler. “And the unrivaled professionalism and attention to detail at the Hotel Bel-Air makes for an elegant evening enjoyed by all. What better way to honor the award recipients than in the lap of luxury at the Hotel Bel-Air.”

The night’s honored attendees included Wally Mariani for Qantas Airways (Best Airline in Australia, the South Pacific and New Zealand), Alden Lono Pelayo for Thai Airways (Best Trans-Pacific Airline and Wines on the Wing/Best Red Wine), Steve Koo for Asiana Airlines (Best Airline for Onboard Service and Flight Attendants) and Sandy Huang for EVA Airways (Best Wines on the Wing). Also celebrated were Sek Eng Lee for Singapore Airlines (Best Airline in the World and Best Airline in Southeast Asia), Pompilio Fabrizi for the Italian Government Tourist Board (Rome/Best International Business City), Nick Panza for Air Tahiti Nui (Wines on the Wing/Best Sparkling Wine) and, of course, Carlos Lopes, managing director of the Hotel Bel- Air (Best Hotel in the United States). All were applauded for being voted 2007’s best and brightest in the travel industry by Global Traveler readers.