Title is from Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 3, in which Claudius says: "What if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother's blood? Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?"
The Hotel Philomel refers to the mythical character Philomela, both beautiful and sorrowful. Shakespeare makes frequent references to Philomel, e.g., in Cymbeline, Titus Andronicus, and Midsummer Night's Dream.