Ready for a road trip?
When you were young and free () did you ever leave on a whim for a road trip? I did. I did. What a nice way to enjoy different places and make new friends! While on the road, did you come across motels? This kind of accommodation is the perfect fit for such a trip.
Origins of the word ‘motel’
The word ‘motel’ is a combination of ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’. It was created by Arthur Heineman, a US architect and one of the first people in Pasadena to own a car. Heineman saw how cars were changing the way people traveled which led him to create what we now know as motels, accommodations tailored towards motorists with each room entered directly from the parking area rather than through a central lobby (like hotels). Heineman opened the very first motel in the world in 1925, in San Luis Obispo (California, USA). He abbreviated ‘motor hotel’ to motel after he could not fit the words “Milestone Motor Hotel” on his rooftop .