Hanna Lee Communications (HLC), an award-winning multimedia PR/marketing agency specializing in hospitality, luxury travel, and beauty/wellness, announces that Hanna Lee (pictured right), its President and Founder, has been honored with a Women In Tourism Award in the Tourism PR Agency category. The award was presented at a gala ceremony at City Winery in New York City. 

The award recognized the agency’s contributions to NYC tourism and economic development. This includes the agency’s luxury clients in travel and hospitality such as Café Carmellini, Locanda Verde, Dante Aperitivo, Jacob’s Pickles, Maison Nur, Junoon, Room 207, Jazba, Elcielo New York, L’Amico, LenLen, Skirt Steak, Back Bar, The Portrait Bar and Warren Street Bar & Restaurant. In addition to supporting restaurants, hotels and bars nationwide and globally, the agency has been recognized for its work in organizing the New York Bartender Week initiative, which celebrates the bartenders and barbacks in NYC and throughout New York State.  

Now in its fifth year, the awards celebrate the accomplishments of innovative, passionate, and dedicated women who lead the way in NYC’s tourism industry. They are produced by City Guide and Davler Media, its parent company, with Delta Airlines as its Presenting Sponsor. 

Some of the 2026 Women in Tourism honorees included Susan McKenna, Susan Marenoff-Zausner, Loida Diaz, Sofia Vandaele, Andrea Puizina, Katie Dalton, Sarah Pennington, Hanna Lee, Natalie Hernandez, and Cristyne Nicholas.

“27 years ago, I moved to New York City with a suitcase and a big dream,” says Lee. “Six months after I settled in, I met Michael Anstendig (pictured left), who is now my husband, my partner, and our agency’s Editor-in-Chief. Together, we built one of the most trusted and beloved PR agencies in the world, Hanna Lee Communications. We put love, care, passion, and dedication into everything we do every day. This award means the world to us, our team, and our clients. We are looking forward to continuing to promote New York City as one of the world's best travel destinations. We congratulate all the nominees and winners!” 

A Career Spent Building Brands Globally

Hanna Lee is Founder & Digital Branding Officer of Hanna Lee Communications (HLC), an award-winning multimedia PR agency specializing in luxury travel, hospitality and beauty/wellness. Her philosophy is to only represent clients the agency believes in: those with the ambition of changing the world.

Current clients include five-star luxury hotels, restaurants and bars celebrated by prestigious award organizations such as The World’s 50 Best Bars, North America’s 50 Best Bars, The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the James Beard Foundation, MICHELIN Guide and Tales of the Cocktail.

In the beauty space, Hanna and the team created high-profile visibility for TimeSavvy, her family's innovative K-Beauty brand by her niece, MJ Lee. The campaign helped drive awards from Men's Health, Women's Health, GlossWire, Fashion Group International, and Cosmoprof North America within a year of launching and generated over 50 top media placements that impacted the business.

Operating under the motto “Think Like Journalists, Act Like Brand Ambassadors,” Team HLC builds global brands across major cities from New York to London to Nairobi. It has earned 350 awards for excellence, including Best Branding, Best Media Relations, Best Event Marketing, Best Social Media Campaign, and Innovator of the Year. The agency is a mainstay on Observer’s PR Power List and The PR Net 100.

Hanna is an IMM North America advisory board member and co-hosts the award-winning “Hospitality Forward” Podcast, reaching listeners in 170 countries. She is also the co-founder of Worldwide Bartender Week and serves as Chief Creative Officer for the agency’s Spirited Award-winning book, “The Japanese Art of the Cocktail.”

A winner of the 2026 Women in Tourism Award and named among PRNews’ 2025 “People of the Year,” Hanna was the first PR executive profiled in Imbibe Magazine and featured on Drinks International’s Bar World 100 List for two consecutive years. She is also a judge for InsideHook’s annual Spill Awards.

Image courtesy of Hanna Lee Communications