#Thunderbird motel show low series#

The automobile brought mobility and the motel could appear anywhere on the vast network of two-lane highways.

This was not an issue in an era where the major highways became the main street in every town along the way and inexpensive land at the edge of town could be developed with motels, car dealerships, fuel stations, lumber yards, amusement parks, roadside diners, drive-in restaurants, theaters, and countless other small roadside businesses. Motels almost by definition include a parking lot, while older hotels were not usually built with automobile parking in mind.īecause of their low-rise construction, the number of rooms which would fit on any given amount of land was low compared to the high-rise urban hotels which had grown around train stations. Motels differ from hotels in their location along highways, as opposed to the urban cores favored by hotels, and their orientation to the outside (in contrast to hotels, whose doors typically face an interior hallway). Several historic motels are listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.Īrchitecture The Star Lite Motel in Dilworth, Minnesota is a typical American 1950s L-shaped motel Motels frequently have large pools, such as the Thunderbird Motel on the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon (1973) A typical motel lobby at the Rocket Motel in Custer, South Dakota Motels peaked in popularity in the 1960s with rising car travel, only to decline in response to competition from the newer chain hotels that became commonplace at highway interchanges as traffic was bypassed onto newly constructed freeways. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.Īs large highway systems began to be developed in the 1920s, long-distance road journeys became more common, and the need for inexpensive, easily accessible overnight accommodation sites close to the main routes led to the growth of the motel concept.

#Thunderbird motel show low series#

The term referred 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. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau of 'motor hotel', originates from the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California (now called the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo), which was built in 1925. For the 2013 Malayalam film, see Tourist Home (film).Ī motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Despite my room being close to the main road through town, it was not noisy as the traffic subsided quite a bit after dark.'Tourist Home' redirects here. There are also several eating/drinking establishments very close to the motel, and the location is very near a small park with an interesting centerpiece featuring the two cowboys whose card game gave name to the town. The woman running the coffee shop was rather surly, but I don't think she is directly associated with the motel. This is certainly a no frills motel, as ice was available upon request only, and coffee is available for a price at the Coffee Mania shop on site. The bed was very comfortable and front desk staff was friendly and efficient, and everything seemed very clean. I got the feeling that the current owners are remodeling the units, and just haven't gotten around yet to updating the bathrooms, because I noticed many updated features, such as the AC/heating and the room decor. The room was very comfortable, even had a fridge and microwave, with the one outstanding drawback being a very small and outdated bathroom. For the budget minded traveler, this motel is adequate and inexpensive.