IT’S BEEN A WHIRLWIND AUTUMN season which included visits to Stone Harbor, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Read more about my time at the Jersey Shore in this month’s Spas article on page 26. My trip to our nation’s capital was in conjunction with Marriott International to attend the semi-finals and finals of the second annual Masters of the Craft competition. The Chopped-style competition started with more than 3,000 chefs and mixologists from Marriott brands in the Americas, whittled to 12 in the semi-finals and to three in the finals. Finally, one Master of the Craft chef and one Master of the Craft mixologist were named. It was a blast watching the secret ingredients being revealed and seeing what these masters developed.

And speaking of masters, it’s time to announce the winners of our 16th GT Tested Reader Survey awards! Find out all the honorees on the following pages, and thank you for joining us for our sweet 16th soiree. In addition, we crown the Airline of the Year and the Hotel of the Year on page 34 and celebrate those GT Tested Reader Survey award winners earning consecutive milestone wins on page 62. This is always one of my favorite issues of the year because I, like you, eagerly anticipate the results, seeing which providers won. Do I agree based on my own experience? Which of the winners should I make a priority to try in the new year? The list of winners is a great place to start when planning 2020 travel.

As I write this, I’m fresh off a day spent at Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum with my friend’s soon-to-be 4-year-old twins, Declan and Delaney. We started the tradition three years ago for their second birthday. Instead of another toy or outfit, I decided to gift them an experience; each year, I take a day off of work and we spend the day playing in the museum’s many exhibits, from a grocery store and a restaurant to a space-themed gallery, a version of Wonderland with Alice as the guide and an art room. It’s always a fun day with lots of giggles and a great bonding experience. In this holiday season and as we award the best in travel, I urge everyone to consider gifting experiences. There is no measurable value to time spent together or to a trip with a loved one.

Of course, the awards aren’t all we have in this issue. We also head to Jeddah, Kraków, Dallas, Taipei, Shanghai, Karpenisi, Turin, Gujarat, Florida’s best beaches and Iceland.

Kick off the year with us next month as we debut some changes for 2020. Until then, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and happy travels!