"Nooteboom writes with an intensity of observation, a disregard for convention, and a keen concern with the great philosophical questions of space, time and existence...Nomad's Hotel is as a travel book should be: An opening into other worlds, both real and imaginary."

"Nomad's Hotel is the fruit of [Nooteboom's] wanderings. The collection of essays ranges from travels to the familiar -- Venice or Australia -- to the more exotic, such as Gambia or Mail...In fact, although he is an indefatigable traveler and can offer detailed descriptions of the places he visits, the author is perhaps more entranced by the inner drives that motivate his travels."

"Nooteboom is a talented writer and a conscientious, intelligent traveler, so his meditations are insightful and engaging, and they show his knowledge of history and his interest in places and their people. In the introduction...Manguel points out that Nooteboom is not in fact a nomad, as he calls himself: his is omnipresent, and it is this experience of having been in a place rather than traveling through it that adds perceptiveness and sensitivity to the writing."

"[Nooteboom] is not without skill at reporting and analyzing events, as in a nearly piece about Iran in the days of the last Shah. His hallmark, however, is not writing about actually traveling, but rather about existing in a place, making stories from hundreds of small details instead of officially licensed facts...He doesn't do reporting, he doesn't guide, offer tips or merely give his impressions. He makes an art of it."