The Team

Gabriela Markova is an executive with over 18 years of experience in the hotel industry. Growing up in the Czech Republic, Paraguay, and Switzerland, she was naturally inclined to pursue a career in travel and tourism. She began her career as a sales manager in a niche 4-star hotel chain, relocating annually between key European capitals as the portfolio expanded to include Paris, Munich, London, Vienna, and Budapest.

Gabriela entered the world of luxury hospitality in 2006 by joining the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. After nearly a decade working at these renowned hotels and advancing from reservations agent to Director of Sales, she took on the role of DOSM at Velaa Private Island in the Maldives—one of the top 10 private islands in the world—where she expanded her client base from high-end and upscale guests to the UHNWI segment.

Fluent in Czech, English, Spanish, and German, Gabriela also speaks French and Portuguese at an advanced level.

Gabriela is also the founder of Luxury Bloc, a trade show dedicated to connecting top high-end travel agents from Central and Eastern Europe with premium global products. Additionally, she is the co-founder of First Impact, the first PR and communications agency that brings together luxury media from 12 CEE countries under one umbrella.

Adriana Ladocha has almost 20 yeas of experience in the luxury tourism segment. She started her career in the cruise industry, spending years working for Cunard Cruiseline on Queen Elisabeth. Soon Adri saw her potential on the other side and became a co-created of Sonriso Travel, a luxury boutique agency in Poland. From the very beginning she has been involved in business development of the brand and product portfolio, as well as in creating and setting service standards for premium customers.

Adriana visited over 60 countries in the world which gave her amazing insights into different cultures and helped her to immerse in authentic and local experiences on all continents (except Antarctica which is coming soon), contributing to her compassion for travel.

Adriana is fluent in Polish and English and is looking over selected countries within the CEE region as well as playing a crucial role in Luxury Bloc development.

Patricie Popelíková has always been drawn to the world of luxury travel. Growing up in the Czech Republic, she developed a strong interest in the international hospitality industry, which led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tourism & Leisure Management in Denmark and Austria. Eager to expand her expertise in sales and marketing, she pursued a unique triple master’s degree in Global Sales & Marketing, gaining hands-on experience across countries on three continents — Vietnam, Mexico, and Austria. Through this experience, she gained profound insights into global sales strategies, value-based selling, and service excellence.

Patricie’s professional journey across various destinations has given her a well-rounded perspective on the industry. From customer service and team management in the Turkish Riviera to working with a luxury travel agency in Prague, she has gained valuable insight into both the guest experience and the operational side of tour operators in luxury travel. She has also participated in international projects and high-profile travel fairs, further refining her expertise in the field.

Now, as part of GM Selection, she is excited to channel her passion for luxury travel into fostering meaningful relationships. She speaks Czech and English fluently and has working knowledge of Russian, focusing on selected markets within the CEE region.

The prerequisite for successful representation of the client is undoubtedly the client’s own experience. Lenka has more than 17 years of experience both on the client’s side and from an international PR agency. During her career, she had the opportunity to help key players (including Mandarin Oriental, The Oaks) in the Czech & Slovak market with major communication projects – from rebranding, through the launch of new products and services, crisis communication and designing strategies for social media.

Lenka has the experience, creativity, sense of detail and, in addition, has the perseverance to achieve real results for the client in no time. She understands the media market in depth, maintains above-standard relationships with journalists and has personal relationships and contacts in the luxury segment.