The purpose of this paper is to describe a survey research that has been conducted in order to analyze public relations in selected hotels in the Istrian area, which according to the categorization are rated with 4 or 5 stars, and by the size and the number of rooms are classified as small hotels. Public relations, tourism and hotel relations definitions are linked with the results of the research, after which the conclusions and recommendations are defined. Finally, the paper deals with practice in communication and work of well-known and successful small hotels in Istria, which often receive different acknowledgments about their business activity. Based on the availability, their prices and high ratings, it can be concluded that all hotels are successful in their business activity, because apart from profit, that, at the end, is crucial for further development and surviving on the market, selected hotels in their work not only concentrate on their employees and internal communication, but they also take care of their guests and are building a good relationship with the media and the environment. The paper is designed to show a realistic picture of public relations in small hotels that don't have special departments for certain activities used in their business, including public relations department, that are particularly important for tourism and hotel industry, because they are key in attracting new guests as well as retaining the existing customers.