Cost: Motels are often less expensive than hotels due to high guest turnover, minimal staffing requirements, and lack of amenities. Room door location: In hotels, guest room doors usually open to interior hallways. Many motels do not have shared interior hallways and guest room doors open directly to the parking lot.

Motels are a kind of hotel. The word motel (from a blend of motor and hotel) typically implies a roadside hotel in which the doors of the rooms can be entered from outside. In contrast, hotel rooms are typically entered from inside the building. Motels are often less expensive and have fewer accommodations than hotels.

Early motels In conceiving of a name for his hotel, Heineman combined the two words motor hotel into one word as mo-tel, after he found that he could not fit the words "Milestone Motor Hotel" on the rooftop.

The first motels originated in the United States during the 1920s, and they were usually operated by a husband and wife team. They were found in rural areas and offered primarily lodging, though some of them had small diners or coffee shops.