Marina Drabkin moved from Ukraine to Los Angeles when she was 10 years old, and in 2009, she founded Million Dollar Luxe, an L.A.-based hospitality company and full-service concierge firm that specializes in renting out L.A.’s most coveted estates for ultra-wealthy individuals seeking short- and long-term rental properties.
L.A. is home to some of the world’s coveted real estate, from luxury mega mansions to historic estates, and Drabkin has an innate understanding of the city’s shifting market dynamics. In Los Angeles, a city where reputations are formed by whispered recommendations, Drabkin is a trusted orchestrator of glamorous sojourns for the world’s elite. Revered for delivering the city’s most exclusive estates to its most high-profile visitors, she has singlehandedly created a new paradigm for luxury hospitality. What began with one rental home at the company’s inception has grown into a veritable empire. Million Dollar Luxe’s portfolio includes more than 50 properties in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Bel-Air, the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, and the Valley. Properties aren’t rented solely for leisurely vacations, but also for private events and filming movies, commercials, TV series, music videos, and more. The compan’y portfolio includes impressive, amenity-filled homes, as well as iconic properties like the Hearst Estate.
For more than 15 years, she’s worked closely with renowned celebrities, major industry power players, corporations, international billionaires, and royals to either help them rent their homes or find a temporary home to rent. Past clients include Drake, Lady Gaga, Bill Gates, Justin Bieber, Bono, Peter Thiel, Michelle Obama, Lewis Hamilton, and other well-known A-listers from musicians to billionaires to athletes and beyond. She has also worked with major brands including Mercedes-Benz, Vanity Fair, Bravo, Chanel, Netflix, and Disney, to name a few.
Not only does Drabkin and her team of five heavily vet every single home added to the portfolio, but there is a definitive list of non-negotiable pre-requisites. For example, every home must have a minimum of five bedrooms, a pool, and offer enhanced security. Gated properties and homes with architectural pedigree are prioritized, whether they have Spanish Mediterranean or modern architecture. Homes rent for $3,000 per night and can exceed $30,000 per night, depending on size, season, and availability. For ultra-wealthy individuals, luxury hotels don’t provide the level of privacy and discretion that many seek. In addition, Million Dollar Luxe acts as a five-star concierge and can organize private airport transfers, luxury car rentals, personal drivers, chef and catering services, housekeeping, stocking provisions, and 24-hour security, among other services.
“For our clients, money is no object,” Marina Drabkin tells Forbes. “They travel with their entourage, assistants, maids, butlers, and managers, so oftentimes renting a house makes the most sense. Privacy-seeking individuals in hotels still have to walk through the hotel lobby to go swimming, and you can’t avoid sharing a pool with other people. Sometimes, hotels just aren’t private enough, and instead, our clients would rather have a beautiful, fully staffed $50 million mansion, whether for three nights or three months.”
Some may argue that even billionaires don’t need rental money, but as Drabkin points out “wealthy people didn’t get wealthy by not being smart businesspeople” and emphasizes that sometimes, these homeowners are looking for a way to monetize and offset expenses. Some of the multi-million-dollar rental homes within the portfolio can generate up to $3 million in rental income in just a few months.
The work doesn’t end once the home is rented. The concierge side of Million Dollar Luxe offers every imaginable service under the sun, from full-time security and staff to more unique services, like belly dancers, yoga trainers, teachers, nannies, nurses, translators, and even doctors. Her clients come for college graduations, filming movies, recording music, training to be a part of the Lakers or another sports team, plastic surgery, or even to give birth so their children can claim U.S. birthright. Even her celebrity clients rent other celebrity’s homes. For instance, she rented Madonna’s home to Beyoncé and Jay-Z when Beyoncé was pregnant and again to Drake when he was recording his album.
Though Drabkin isn’t a real estate agent, it’s not uncommon for her wealthy clients to put offers on homes.
“We’ve transacted more than $200 million worth of real estate sales for homes that were never intended to be sold in the first place,” she says. “Exposure to these rare, unusual, and super high-end unicorns are being rented to people who can truly afford it, who are paying up to $1 million or more per month to stay there.”
Drabkin has a hand in everything, from the quality of the toiletries to organizing home updates, bathroom accessories, and even stocking the kitchen with the best-quality pots and pans. It’s truly more than a luxury home rental, but instead the ultimate lifestyle experience that money can buy.