Noun

Singular motel

Plural motels

motel (plural motels)

1. lodging establishment typically featuring a series of rooms whose entrance is immediately adjacent to a parking lot, as might facilitate easy access to one's automobile during an overnight stay, particularly located near a major highway
2. (as a modifier; used attributively) Of or relating to a motel.

   motel sign

3. (as a modifier; used attributively) Of architecture, interior design, etc, in the style of a motel; identical and anonymous.

Adjective

motel (not comparable)

Positive motel

Comparative not comparable

Superlative none (absolute)

1. any of several architectural or interior design styles associated with motels, such as "identicalness", "anonymity", or any other perceived attribute of motels, particularly as differentiated from hotels.
2. characterized by an anonymous, temporary nature, as motel sex.
3. property owned by a motel, as "motel towel", "motel ashtray", possibly imprinted or embroidered with the name of the establishment, frequently appropriated by tourists as a souvenir.

A motel is a hotel designed for motorists to stay en route.

Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, a portmanteau of motor and hotel or motorists' hotel, referred initially to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and, in some circumstances, a common area; or a series of small cabins with common parking. As the United States highway system began to develop in the 1920s, long distance road journeys became more common and the need for inexpensive, easily accessible overnight accommodation sited close to the main routes, led to the growth of the motel concept.

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See also:

• Business: Hospitality: Hotels and Motels (22)