Who is Mme. Mariana from Miramar and what is their importance?

Mme. Mariana is a Greek woman, who was born in Alexandria. She owns and runs the Miramar Pension, which occupies the fourth floor of the massive building of the same name. Mme. Mariana is in her mid-sixties, and she is described as both a faded beauty and a living mummy. She has blue eyes, pale skin, and a tall, thin figure. Kidney disorders have caused her to stop drinking alcohol.