The Penguin Guide to Jazz listed the album as part of its suggested "core collection" and described it as "by far the most impressive of Burton's two-handers and an ideal opportunity to examine the vibist in close-ups." They concluded by calling it "one of the high-points of ECM's distinguished catalogue."[3]
In a review forAllMusic,Scott Yanow wrote: "the music is introverted, quiet, and occasionally swinging, but mostly floating... Thoughtful background music with no real surprises or excitement."[1]
Writing for ECM blogBetween Sound and Space, Tyran Grillo called the album a "long-forgotten jewel," and commented: "Hotel Hello is a unique entry in the Burton catalogue, for it is the only one that feels as if it were painted in black and white. What it lacks in vibrancy... of color, it makes up for, if not surpasses, in its visceral sentiment.... This is a consistently solid effort and arousing in its many changes."[4]
