AS WE APPROACH the end of the year, I want to extend a personal thank you for helping Global Traveler exceed its aggressive goals for fiscal 2019.

Dec. 11 we celebrate our 16th annual GT Tested Reader Survey awards at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. We have a history of hosting events at The Peninsula, and it was only fitting to continue this tradition at the property you voted Best Hotel in the United States for nine consecutive years.

In this issue we reveal the GT Tested Reader Survey awards results and our selections for Airline of the Year and Hotel of the Year, as well as those achieving consecutive wins. Consistency is a hallmark of Global Traveler and what we expect from airlines, hotels and related services. That said, this year you will notice a few upsets due to changes in travelers’ tastes.

Our speaker for the awards gala, Jacob Adoram Hendrickson, will address a timely topic. As a fundraising effort for Water Mission, Hendrickson was the first person to row 7,145 miles across the Pacific without stopping or receiving any support. WM creates safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions so everyone has access to clean, safe water. Currently, 2.1 billion people lack access.

This holiday season I will spend time with family and friends in Pennsylvania and begin planning 2020 travels. Two months ago I returned from the Hawai’ian island of Lanai, where I stayed at the lovely Four Seasons Resort Lanai and played at the Manele Golf Course (see my review on page 28). I am already thinking about where to celebrate my birthday in 2020. I welcome your suggestions!

GT is gearing up for a busy 2020 with the Wines on the Wing competition in the spring, followed by the Leisure Lifestyle Awards. Then it’s The Trazees, as voted by the readers of trazeetravel.com, and the Wherever Awards as voted by the readers of whereverfamily.com. We’ll be at the Global Business Travel Association conference next summer in Denver, where airlines and hotels will unveil new developments.

I ended the fall in Doha, flying non-stop from Philadelphia in Qatar Airways’ lovely QSuite. Qatar Airways offers excellent connectivity to global gateways through Doha, and Hamad International Airport’s expansion will make it even better. I have to praise the Qataris for their dune-bashing skills. We had a fantastic time riding full throttle over the dunes where the sand meets the sea in southwest Doha.

I also spent a few days at the Union League Club in New York and took an educational art tour of its outstanding paintings of prominent New Yorkers, many key players in the abolitionist movement. To top off the trip, I enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite places in the Murray Hill section, Toledo — a relaxing Spanish seafood restaurant.

Start planning now for 2020!