How a ‘Russian James Bond’ conquered the world of luxury hotels
WHEN THE COMMANDING billionaire Vlad Doronin asks you to do something, he’s not really asking. So when, during an interview at his Miami Beach mansion, the Soviet-born Doronin directs me to lie down on a table so he can demonstrate a scary-looking machine, I don’t even inquire what the device does. I just climb onto the table in my form-fitting dress and heels, and the owner of the ultra-luxury Aman hotel brand places a plastic wand on my abdomen.
He flips a switch on the device, which turns out to be a pulsed electromagnetic field, or PEMF, machine intended to optimize the body’s natural healing system. I feel a vibration. “This is my secret," explains the muscular 61-year-old in $920 Hermès sneakers.
Will it hurt? “No, because we’re in America!" he says with a booming laugh. Yikes. Silver-haired with piercing blue eyes, Doronin has action-hero good looks and charm to go with his authoritative manner—qualities that have helped him construct more than 80 buildings in various countries, purchase one of the world’s most exclusive hotel chains and date supermodels including Naomi Campbell (his girlfriend from 2008 to 2013).
Still, despite the soothing neutral tones of his marble-clad massage room, I wouldn’t say I’m relaxed. He is spiritual, but intense; courteous, but tough. As he demonstrates various wellness devices—next up is an LED mask that makes me look like Hannibal Lecter—it feels like he’s commanding me, and himself, to relax.
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