motel

[moh-tel]

noun

1. a hotel providing travelers with lodging and free parking facilities, typically a roadside hotel having rooms adjacent to an outside parking area or an urban hotel offering parking within the building.

motel

/ məʊˈtɛl /

noun

1. a roadside hotel for motorists, usually having direct access from each room or chalet to a parking space or garage

Word History and Origins

Origin of motel¹

First recorded in 1920–25; blend of motor and hotel

Word History and Origins

Origin of motel¹

C20: from motor + hotel

Example Sentences

Glusac tried staying with other family and friends in the area, but ultimately decided a motel room was worth the money.

Read more on MarketWatch

"Anybody who has been to America will know that there's always a small town 30 miles outside with plenty of motels strung out along the highway."

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Rates have skyrocketed, with so-called love motels and private apartments being converted into accommodation for climate envoys.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At one point, he was staying at a motel just a five-minute walk from my first apartment near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Intrigued, he drove to the motel that evening.

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Related Words

• cabin 
• hotel 
• inn 
• lodge 
• resort