REYA Communications wins Boutique Agency of the Year at 2026 PRNEWS Platinum Awards

REYA Communications took home Boutique Agency of the Year at the 2026 PRNEWS Platinum Awards, which were presented Oct. 6 in New York City. The win spotlights the New York- and Lima-based luxury travel PR agency’s founder-led model, its focus on independent hospitality brands and its push into digital and AI-era search visibility.

Why it matters: - The award gives REYA Communications industry recognition for a boutique model that keeps founders directly involved in client strategy. - The win underscores how smaller agencies can compete through specialized expertise, senior attention and digital visibility work, not just scale. - REYA’s client base focuses on independent and family-owned luxury hospitality brands, many tied to conservation, sustainability and community impact.

What happened: - REYA Communications was named Boutique Agency of the Year at the 2026 PRNEWS Platinum Awards. - The awards were presented on Oct. 6 in New York City. - REYA Communications is based in New York and Lima, Peru. - The agency was founded by luxury travel PR veterans Alexandra Avila and Julie Leventhal. - REYA specializes in luxury travel and hospitality public relations.

The details: - REYA represents independent and family-owned luxury hotels, resorts, safari operators, private villas and experiential travel companies worldwide. - The agency focuses on brands committed to conservation, sustainability and social impact. - REYA has deliberately stayed boutique so its founders continue leading client strategy and account management. - The agency pairs a curated client portfolio with digital efficiencies and international media expertise. - Avila described REYA as a dining table with limited seats and said the agency was built to stay close to the work and the founders who hire it. - Recent client additions include Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Canada, following work with sister property Alyeska Resort in Alaska. - Other recent additions include African Bush Camps, ÀNI Private Resorts and Destinations in Paradise. - REYA’s portfolio spans the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia. - North American clients include Sonnenalp Hotel, Alyeska Resort and Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. - Africa-based clients include African Bush Camps, Volcanoes Safaris, Cheetah Plains and Go2Africa. - Other clients include Delfin Amazon Cruises in Peru, Casa di Langa in Italy, Cashel Palace in Ireland, Gangtey Lodge in Bhutan and ÀNI Private Resorts, which has properties across the Caribbean and Asia. - The agency emphasizes locally owned hospitality businesses and entrepreneurs whose investment supports local employment, conservation and community development. - REYA highlights leaders including Sheila Kyarisiima of The Pinnacle Kigali, Beks Ndlovu of African Bush Camps, Praveen Moman of Volcanoes Safaris and Lissy Urteaga of Delfin Amazon Cruises. - Recent work helped launch The Pinnacle Kigali, a Black female-owned luxury hotel in Rwanda. - That launch helped secure coverage or recognition in TIME's World's Greatest Places, Travel + Leisure's It List, Robb Report's Best of the Best and AFAR's Top New Hotels of 2026. - REYA also helped Cashel Palace earn Condé Nast Traveler's Triple Crown distinction through recognition on its Hot List, Gold List and Readers' Choice Awards. - The agency helped Delfin Amazon Cruises earn Condé Nast Traveler recognition on its Bright Ideas and Women's Power lists for sustainability initiatives and female leadership. - REYA offers reduced retainers to select conservation-focused brands. - The agency also supports the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Jane Goodall Institute and Gorilla Doctors through client campaigns and additional public relations support. - Since its founding, REYA has combined traditional public relations with digital marketing intelligence. - That mix includes media relations, SEO, website analytics and digital PR. - The agency is expanding its strategy into Answer Engine Optimization and visibility across large language models as AI-powered search changes how travelers discover hospitality brands. - Avila said independent hotels can compete through credible storytelling, authoritative editorial coverage and a strong digital presence. - Avila also said PR should contribute to long-term visibility and business success, not just headlines.

Between the lines: - REYA’s award reflects a broader shift in travel PR toward smaller, high-touch agencies that blend earned media with search visibility and digital strategy. - The agency’s conservation and community focus positions it as a specialist for brands that want sustainability to be part of their market identity, not just a marketing message. - The move into AEO and LLM visibility suggests REYA sees AI search as a new battleground for boutique hospitality brands competing against larger chains.

What's next: - REYA is likely to keep scaling selectively, using referrals and specialized wins rather than broad volume growth. - The agency will continue pushing digital-first PR tactics as AI-driven search becomes more important for travel discovery. - REYA is expected to keep prioritizing independent luxury brands, conservation-focused tourism companies and founder-led hospitality businesses.

The bottom line: - REYA Communications’ award validates a niche strategy: stay small, stay senior-led and win by pairing luxury travel storytelling with digital visibility.