Plural of motel; roadside hotels designed primarily for motorists, typically featuring rooms accessible directly from a parking area. Budget accommodation along highways and travel routes.
Portmanteau word created in 1925 by combining 'motor' and 'hotel.' The concept emerged with the rise of automobile travel in America, creating a new type of accommodation designed for the convenience of car travelers rather than train passengers.
Motels revolutionized American travel culture and became icons of the open road! The first motel, the Motel Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, literally invented a new word that captured the democratization of travel in the automobile age.
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