The hotels, the people, and their stories: some true – or as the author remembers them happening – others entirely fictional. Perhaps not exactly "entirely," since previous hotel guests often leave "traces" that help you guess a story. Or invent one.

Thirty years on the road, one thing I came to know best in the cities that hosted me: the hotels. I have slept in countless ones. So many and so often that many times when I wake up – even in my own home – I experience disorientation: in other words, I have no idea where I am.