an establishment that provides lodging for motorists in rooms usually having direct access to an open parking area

an establishment which provides lodging and parking in which the rooms are usually accessible from an outdoor parking area as opposed to a hotel where the rooms are accessible from within the establishment itself

an inexpensive budget accommodation facility

an off the road quick night sleep with no extras and this is what the Alpine Lodge offers

a public lodging establishment for automobile travelers

a small hotel near a road where people travelling in cars can stay for the night

Overnight accommodation originally targeted to automobile traveler's, and therefore situated at roadside. A more contemporary definition would be the provision of accommodation only, with no other amenities and services provided by the motel.

A type of accommodation, usually built near a highway and catering to motorists.

A lodging operation catering to people traveling by car, usually single story with rooms facing the parking lot, and located near a major highway.

A roadside hotel providing lodging and automobile parking.

Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel (from MOtorists' hoTEL) referred initially to a single building of connected rooms whose doors face a parking lot and/or common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Their creation was driven by increased driving distances on the United States highway system that allowed easy cross-country travel. The concept originated with the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo, constructed in 1925 by Arthur Heinman.