What IMAGINE PR does

IMAGINE PR is a privately held, New York-based boutique public relations agency specializing in the luxury travel and hospitality sector. Founded in 2005 and co-owned by Gabriele Sappok and Andreas Sappok, the firm positions itself as an agency-of-record partner for international luxury hotels, resorts, safari lodges, and experiential travel brands seeking to build credibility and media presence in the North American market. Its services span the full PR stack: strategic communications counsel, media relations, celebrity and influencer outreach, event planning and execution, hotel openings and re-launches, social media management, content development, and crisis management. A dedicated Brand Partnerships division, led by Ashley Mir, develops PR-led, purpose-driven co-marketing collaborations such as the Singita x Industrie Africa initiative that culminated in a New York Fashion Week event.

The firm serves approximately 20+ named enterprise clients, including multiple Marriott-owned properties (Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties in Bali, Thailand, and Japan; The Sira and Mandarin Oriental at Hotel Indigo Seminyak Bali are illustrative), Singita (multi-property conservation-led safari brand across Southern and East Africa), Ellerman House, Tswalu, Saxon Hotel, Natural Selection, Baros Maldives, Milaidhoo, Fregate Island Private, Mandapa, Niseko Village, Tschuggen Collection, Beach Enclave, and expedition operators Secret Atlas and Quasar Expeditions. The agency's recent client wins (Mount Med Resort in December 2024, The Sira in 2024, Phulay Bay appointment in May 2026) indicate a sustained new-business cadence across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Geographic delivery is concentrated in North America (USA) via the NYC headquarters, while clients and the international partner network of independent lifestyle and travel representation companies give IMAGINE PR effective global coverage.

IMAGINE PR generates revenue through fee-based retainer and project-based engagements (professional services model), with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its commercial positioning relies on earned credibility through consecutive-year industry recognition (Observer Top 5 Luxury Travel PR Agency in 2024 and 2025; PR Net Top 100 U.S. PR agency in 2024 and 2025; DesignRush Best NYC Public Relations Companies), proprietary case studies (Powder Nirvana Niseko, Singita A Blind Safari), and documented outcomes including 200+ media placements for a single Niseko Village campaign and a 12-page AFAR print magazine feature for the Singita blind safari campaign. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven rather than high-volume, consistent with a curated boutique model.

Name

IMAGINE PR

Legal name

IMAGINE PR

Website

https://imagine-team.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IMAGINE PR is a boutique, New York-based public relations agency specializing in luxury travel and hospitality. It provides media relations, brand partnership curation, and integrated PR services to enterprise hotels, resorts, safari lodges, and experiential travel brands seeking North American market positioning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer & Lifestyle PR (MPAAADAB), Influencer PR & Seeding (Gifting/Press Kits) (MPAAAHAG), Event PR & Communications Support (BPAFADAO)

Keywords

• Luxury travel PR
• Hospitality public relations
• Media relations
• Brand partnerships
• Destination PR campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Relations Services: IMAGINE PR generates revenue through fee-based public relations retainer services, offering integrated PR, social media services, digital marketing, and brand partnerships to luxury travel and hospitality clients. The agency serves as a strategic partner delivering campaigns, media relations, celebrity outreach, and event execution on behalf of clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMAGINE PR is a New York-based boutique public relations agency specializing in luxury travel and hospitality. It provides strategic communications, media relations, celebrity and influencer outreach, event execution, social media management, digital marketing, and PR-led brand partnerships for prestigious hotels, resorts, and experiential travel brands seeking North American market visibility.

Product overview

IMAGINE PR is a full-service luxury travel and hospitality PR agency offering integrated public relations, social media services, digital marketing, and strategic brand partnerships. The agency operates as a unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. Core services include media relations, celebrity outreach, event planning, content development (text, images, video), brand partnership campaigns, hotel openings and re-launches, influencer connections, community management, and crisis management. The agency has developed specialized expertise in PR-led brand partnerships, creating purpose-driven collaborations such as the Singita x Industrie Africa initiative, and destination PR campaigns that have generated over 200 media placements for clients like Niseko Village.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations Services Full-service luxury travel and hospitality PR offering strategic communications counsel, media relations, celebrity outreach, event planning and execution, hotel openings and re-launches, influencer connections, content strategy, media monitoring and analysis, and crisis management for luxury hospitality brands.
• Social Media Services Integrated social media management including hashtag campaigns, community management, platform management and development, and social takeovers for luxury hospitality brands.
• Strategic Brand Partnerships PR-led brand partnership development and co-marketing strategy services connecting luxury travel brands with aligned partners for purpose-driven collaborations that build credibility and long-term brand equity.
• Content Development Content creation services including text, images, and video production for editorial distribution, media tours, and familiarization trips.
• Digital Marketing Digital marketing services complementing traditional PR efforts to maximize client revenues through integrated campaigns.
• Destination PR Campaigns International market PR campaigns for destinations such as Niseko Village, generating over 200 media placements in outlets including Vogue, AFAR, New York Post, Men's Journal, Departures, and Bloomberg.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 media placements generated for a single client campaign (Niseko Village) in outlets including Vogue, AFAR, New York Post, Men's Journal, Departures, and Bloomberg
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and notable.

• International Network of Independent Lifestyle and Travel Representation CompaniescoreOthersIMAGINE PR is part of an international network of independent lifestyle and travel representation companies. These partner agencies are experts in marketing, sales, and public relations, serving leading lifestyle, travel, and hospitality clients globally. This network enables IMAGINE PR to offer global reach while maintaining boutique agency focus and North American market expertise.
• Singita x Industrie Africa Brand PartnershipflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerA flagship PR-led brand partnership between Singita (IMAGINE PR client, pioneer in conservation-led hospitality) and Industrie Africa (leading platform for contemporary African fashion). The collaboration spanned an editorial shoot at Singita's Tanzanian lodges and culminated in a New York Fashion Week event, positioning sustainable African luxury at the center of global cultural conversation. IMAGINE PR facilitated this partnership, bridging conservation, fashion, and storytelling across industries.
• Indosole x Hotel Indigo Seminyak Bali Brand PartnershipnotableGTM or Marketing PartnerIMAGINE PR facilitated a brand partnership pairing a U.S. spice brand with a Maldives resort along the ancient spice route, and integrated sustainable Indosole flip-flops made from Indonesian ocean plastic into the staff uniforms at Hotel Indigo Seminyak Bali. These examples illustrate how PR-led, purpose-driven brand partnerships can create cultural relevance and credibility without relying on scale.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BPCM: BPCM is a global luxury lifestyle public relations and communications agency serving fashion, beauty, hospitality, and travel brands. It directly competes with IMAGINE PR for international luxury hospitality clients seeking North American market presence and brand storytelling.
• J Public Relations: J Public Relations is a boutique agency with strong hospitality, travel, and luxury lifestyle practices. It serves a similar luxury hotel and resort client base and operates with comparable boutique-scale service delivery, making it a close peer in the North American luxury hospitality PR market.
• Quinn PR: Quinn PR is a New York-based boutique public relations agency specializing in luxury travel, hospitality, and lifestyle brands. It directly competes with IMAGINE PR for the same client roster of international luxury hotels, resorts, and experiential brands seeking North American media representation.
• Hawkins International PR: Hawkins International PR is a boutique travel, tourism, and lifestyle PR firm serving luxury hospitality and tourism boards. It competes head-to-head with IMAGINE PR in the North American luxury travel PR space, with comparable client portfolios of high-end hotels, resorts, and destinations.
• HL Group: HL Group is a luxury lifestyle and entertainment PR and marketing agency with hospitality and travel expertise. It serves an overlapping client base of luxury hotels and experiential brands, making it a comparable boutique competitor in the luxury lifestyle PR space.
• Alison Brod Marketing & Communications: Alison Brod Marketing & Communications is a boutique PR agency with strengths in lifestyle, travel, and hospitality. It serves a similar client profile of consumer-facing luxury and experiential brands, making it a directly comparable boutique competitor.
• Magrino: Magrino is a New York-based luxury lifestyle PR and strategic communications agency serving premium consumer brands across travel, beauty, food, and hospitality. It directly competes with IMAGINE PR for luxury travel and hospitality clients seeking elevated brand positioning and media relations.
• Lou Hammond Group: Lou Hammond Group is a long-established New York PR agency specializing in travel, tourism, and lifestyle. Like IMAGINE PR, it serves international luxury hospitality clients seeking U.S. media exposure, making it a directly comparable boutique competitor in the same niche.

Broad incumbents

• 5W Public Relations: 5W Public Relations is a top-50 U.S. PR firm with a dedicated Consumer & Travel practice serving hotels, tourism boards, and hospitality brands. As a larger, multi-practice agency, it competes with IMAGINE PR for luxury travel clients but operates at greater scale with broader service offerings.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global top-tier PR network with a dedicated travel and hospitality practice serving major hotel chains, tourism boards, and destinations. While it operates at much larger scale, it competes with IMAGINE PR for enterprise-level luxury hospitality clients and global PR mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ImagineTravels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imagine-global-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/imaginetravels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IMAGINE PR