– Ghost Story: Madame Blavatskaya–

THE LONGEST OF LONG-TERM RESIDENTS

Madame Irina Blavatskaya was Hotel Greene’s most famous long-term resident. She lived in room 208 from 1924 until her accidental electrocution in 1936 while trying out a new, unproven, beauty treatment in our spa. Her self-told history, while colorful, may not have survived the scrutiny of less tumultuous times.

Madame claimed that she was descended from Russian royal stock, was a friend and confidant of the two eldest Romanov daughters and, after a failed attempt at drowning herself in the Neva, fled in the aftermath of the Revolution. She lived lavishly at Hotel Greene and warded off Herr Kleist’s constant but delicate entreaties about her past due rent, insisting that her fortune was “tied up in the old country” and would be sent to her at any moment.

Her unpaid bills were matched only by the scandal that followed her throughout the hotel. Her numerous trysts were legendary among our discreet staff. Once, a curious thing happened. A drunken man in a well-worn wool cape cornered her in the lobby, addressing her as “Netochka” and insisting that she leave with him. When Ganz the doorman intervened and pushed the man towards the door, he screamed that Madame was nothing more than a grifter, a cabaret dancer from Omsk who had completely mesmerized us with silly tropes of wealth and pretense. Madame was so shaken that she retreated to her room for a full week. Our staff, ever professional, never mentioned the incident or evidenced a reduced opinion of her. Well-choreographed and well-performed tropes — after all— were a welcome distraction from the monotony and despair of the day. 

Madame Blavatskaya is often sighted on first Fridays, in our spa and lobby. She enjoys chatting with guests— particularly men— and hinting at her secrets. Please be kind even if her flirtations are unwelcome.  Remember that her loneliness, vanity, and the terror of losing her beauty consumed her to the point of death.