motel
motel
Pronunciation
IPA Phonetic Spelling and Syllabification
The IPA phonetic spelling for "motel" is /moʊˈtɛl/ or /məʊˈtɛl/ (using American or British pronunciation, respectively, for the first vowel).
The word is divided into two syllables, as follows:
Syllable 1: mo-
Sound Breakdown: /moʊ/ or /məʊ/ (The sound of the letter 'm' followed by the long 'o' sound, or a schwa sound followed by the 'o' sound)
Syllable 2: -tel
Sound Breakdown: /tɛl/ (The sound of the letter 't' followed by the short 'e' sound and the 'l' sound)
Word Form Variations
The term "motel" primarily functions as a noun, and its main word form variations are:
Singular Noun: motel
Plural Noun: motels
Attributive Noun/Adjective: motel (used to modify another noun, e.g., motel room, motel owner)
A less common, related word form is:
Noun (person): motelier (a person who owns or manages a motel)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A roadside commercial establishment, specifically designed for motorists, that offers temporary lodging. It is typically characterized by having rooms that face an outdoor parking area or courtyard, allowing direct, ground-level access from a vehicle.
Synonyms: motor inn, motor lodge, auto court, tourist court
Antonyms: (Direct antonyms are difficult, but contrasting lodging types include): private residence, long-term rental, apartment
Adjective
Definition 1: Of or relating to a motel (as defined above).
Synonyms: motor-inn (attributive), roadside (attributive), temporary (in the context of lodging)
Antonyms: hotel (attributive), residential, long-stay
Examples of Use
The word motel is widely used across various forms of media and public life, often carrying connotations of roadside travel, transience, or vintage Americana.
📚 Books and Publications
Non-Fiction/Journalism: The word is frequently used in reports and historical accounts about American roadside culture, business, or crime.
"Approximately 16,000 motels were operating in 2012, a sharp drop from a peak of 61,000 in 1964." (Smithsonian Magazine, June 2017)Investigative Literature: The word forms part of the title of significant non-fiction books detailing historical events.
The Algiers Motel Incident by John Hersey recounts events of the 1967 Detroit Riot. (1968)Literary Fiction: It's used as a setting or a central element to establish a sense of place or character transience.
The novel The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin focuses on two brothers drifting through Reno and staying in various roadside accommodations.
📰 Newspapers and Online Discourse
Travel and Preservation: Articles often discuss the revival or preservation of classic, mid-century roadside lodgings.
"Across the United States, Vintage Motels Are Being Imagined for Modern Times." (Smithsonian Magazine, May 2024)Business Reporting: It is used in the context of hospitality industry categories and franchise rankings.
IHG ranked #1 for fifth straight year in the Hotel & Motel Category of Entrepreneur Magazine's 2009 Franchise 500. (January 2009)Social Media/General Public: People use the term to describe personal travel experiences, often differentiating them from hotels.
"Booked a motel room so I can drink and cry out loud alone." (Reddit, December 2023)
🎬 Entertainment Mediums and Platforms
Television: The word is central to the setting of popular shows, sometimes with a quirky or nostalgic tone.
The fictional Rosebud Motel serves as the main setting for the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek.Film: Motels frequently appear in films as locations for dramatic, suspenseful, or gritty scenes, or simply as a stop on a road trip.
Roy's Motel and Café on Route 66 in California is a famous filming location seen in movies like The Hitcher (1986).Music: The word is used in song titles and lyrics, often invoking themes of travel, temporary connection, or fleeting romance.
The song "Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn..." is a famous lyric from the Sugarhill Gang's 1979 track, "Rapper's Delight."
The band Phish released a documentary film and song titled "Bittersweet Motel" (2000).
Howard Shore's score for the film A History of Violence includes a track simply titled "Motel" (2005).
10 Famous Quotes Using Motel
“I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for you.” (Tom Bodett, Motel 6 Commercial Outro)
“Camping is nature's way of promoting the motel business.” (Dave Barry)
“I love everything about motels.” (Bill Bryson, The Complete Notes, 2000)
“The motel was past its prime certainly, but had not yet descended to seedy.” (Harlan Coben, Back Spin, Unknown)
“I'm happy to report you still get nothing you don't need at Motel 6, and, therefore, you don't have to pay for it.” (Tom Bodett, referring to Motel 6)
“A motel is where you give up good dollars for bad quarters.” (Henny Youngman)
“The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could meet both townspeople and travelers. Not so in a motel.” (William Least Heat-Moon)
“Without Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick I would be living in a little motel just around the corner here, trying to make ends meet.” (Mel Brooks)
“There's a vacancy, won't you come to me / And fill my empty spaces / I'm a motel man in a promised land / That's filled with empty faces.” (Harry Chapin, Song: "Vacancy," 1974)
“Paris is a Roach Motel for top American journalists: They check in, having won the plum foreign posting, but never leave.” (Whit Stillman)
Etymology
The word motel is a classic example of a portmanteau word—meaning it was created by blending two existing words together.
Blending: It combines the words "motor" and "hotel."
Origin and First Use
The term was coined to describe a specific type of roadside accommodation designed for the rapidly growing number of travelers using automobiles (motors) in the United States.
First Known Use (and Meaning): The word was first used in 1925 to name a specific establishment: the Milestone Mo-Tel in San Luis Obispo, California.
The Creator's Intent: The hotel's architect and developer, Arthur Heineman, created the blended name because he wanted a term that was short and punchy. Some sources suggest he specifically needed a short name to fit on the building's large rooftop sign.
Original Meaning: The name was intended to mean a "motor hotel"—an inn that catered directly to motorists by offering convenient, direct-access lodging with parking, differentiating it from traditional, city-center hotels that were built mainly for train travelers and required a central lobby entrance.
The term quickly caught on as automobile travel boomed and was adopted by similar businesses across the new American highway system.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Motel
Motel hopping: The act of moving frequently from one temporary roadside lodging to another, often associated with a transient lifestyle or a long road trip.
Motel room tan: A humorous phrase describing skin that has seen little sunlight due to spending most of the day indoors, often while working or resting during a long stay in temporary lodging.
The long-term motel resident: A phrase used to describe a person or family living in a motel unit for an extended period, suggesting economic hardship or instability, as motels are typically designed for short stays.
"Leave the light on" (from the Motel 6 slogan): This phrase, while originally commercial, is now a colloquial way to promise hospitality or to say "we'll be waiting for you," drawing on the motel's simple promise of always having a room available.
A roadside palace (Using the synonym motor lodge): An ironic or nostalgic phrase referring to a small, often dated, but clean and welcoming roadside motel or motor inn.
Motel art: A derogatory phrase referring to generic, mass-produced, and often uninspired artwork, typically found decorating the walls of inexpensive temporary lodging.
Checking into the 'no-tell' motel (Using the synonym no-tell): A slang phrase referring to a cheap or discrete motel used primarily for secret rendezvous or illicit activities.
The neon vacancy sign: A common descriptive phrase, often used symbolically in literature or film, representing the availability of an anonymous, temporary stop on a journey.
A second-story hotel (Using the synonym hotel/inn): An original phrase to describe a situation where a ground-level, single-story motel would have been preferable, emphasizing the inconvenience of having to climb stairs with luggage.
Living out of a suitcase (A general travel idiom, often associated with motel stays): Means to be constantly traveling, with only your immediate belongings unpacked, which is the reality of frequent motel or hotel use.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of motel from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
