Motel is an establishment that provides overnight lodging, chiefly for automobile travelers. Most motels are located near busy interchanges of major highways, on the outskirts of towns, or near airports. All motels provide free parking facilities from which guests can reach their rooms directly. Some motels have restaurants and swimming pools.
The word motel comes from a combination of the words motor and hotel. Motels are also called motor hotels, motor inns, or motor lodges.
The number of rooms in a motel can range from fewer than 10 to more than 200. Many large motels are in the downtown areas of cities. Most of them provide the same services and charge approximately the same rates as commercial hotels. On the other hand, most roadside motels offer fewer dining and other services, and they charge lower rates than the majority of hotels. The casual atmosphere of these motels, plus their convenient location on or near highways, appeals to large numbers of motorists.
Most motels do not require reservations because many automobile travelers cannot be sure where they will spend the night. Almost all roadside motels have large signs that tell whether vacant rooms are available. Motorists can see these signs and do not have to leave their cars to find out if a motel has any vacancies.
Roadside motels use highway billboards to advertise their location and the services they provide. These billboards are often located at various points for several miles along the major highways leading to a motel.
The first motels, called tourist cabins, were established during the early 1900’s, when people began to travel by automobile. Tourist cabins originated in the Western United States, where people could not travel the long distances between towns in one day. These establishments also served fishermen, hunters, and other vacationers in remote areas.
The motel industry grew rapidly during the mid-1900’s. People began to travel longer distances by car and needed places to stay along the way. The establishment of motel chains, which consist of two or more motels owned by one person or company, also stimulated motel development.
Through the years, several major motel chains have expanded by means of franchises. Under this system, an individual or a company buys a franchise–that is, the right to own and operate a motel in the chain. The purchaser runs the motel in the same manner and under the same name as the other motels in the chain. The franchise owner pays the chain a percentage of the motel’s income. The owner has the advantage of operating a motel with a well-known name and reputation.
In the 1970’s, several companies established chains of budget motels. The rates at these motels may be as low as half of those of other motels. Budget motels have small rooms and provide fewer services than more expensive motels. They do not have restaurants, and many have no swimming pools. Some budget motels in areas with cool climates do not provide air conditioning.
