Is it a Hotel or a Motel?

[Skarredmind]

I dunno how sucky this was... but confusing as hell... and well, funny.

Potential guests walk in and want to know about reservations, they ask the price and everything is going fine then they ask,

"Is this a hotel or a motel?"
"Uh... its a hotel."
::Turns to the people she's with::
"Its a hotel."
::much muttering and mumbling::
"Oh, well then. Have a good night."
::And they walk out::


Now, I am a travel agent who moonlights (ha ha see what I did there) as a Night Auditor in a hotel. There USED to be a difference between hotels and motels, but now-a-days the differences are MOSTLY semantics (as in one's name starts with an "H" and the other with an "M") Motels are supposed to always be near major roads, but even that isn't always the case. So why, exactly, it would matter if a property is one or the other is a *COMPLETE* mystery to me.

To make it better, last night someone called in to make sure we were a Hotel not a Motel, and were glad that they "didn't need to cancel" because HOTEL!

Was there a 60 minutes special or something? Maybe an email going around?



In other news, I am escaping this place for a whole week and a half starting tomorrow, I have no intention of being completely sober at any point for the entire time (excluding driving I guess).

[Skittles88]

A motel has outdoor corridors and drive-up to the room feature. Hotels have indoor corridors and are far more likely to have room service. For some people it does matter the difference.
As well, not that I condone smoking, but in a motel you just walk out the door and smoke rather than having to go through the lobby. This appeals to a fair amount of people.

[Yfandes]

To my tiny little mind -
Motel: Doors to the outside, can park your car near the door to your room, less expensive, convenient to the motorway, plain soap and shampoo.
Hotel: hallways lead to rooms, often a bar downstairs, maybe even a restaurant, shampoo AND conditioner and maybe a nice smelling lotion as well in the bath. Usually within walking distance of other restaurants, bars, shopping or places of interest.

[ADeMartino]

I agree; a 'Motel' (aka Motor Hotel) is usually, though not necessarily, basic accommodations, while a 'Hotel' usually implies more luxurious amenities. Rather than think of them as two separate ideas, though, I think it's more accurate to consider them to be two different ends of the spectrum of short-term lodging, with a lot of variation, blurring, and 'shades of grey' in between. Which means, toward the middle of the spectrum, you're going to find the terms used more-or-less interchangeably.

[VComps]

I'd be so tempted to say "neither, it's an inn!"

[Argus]

A motel's ease of outside access might have security implications, especially if there is a picture window that anyone can walk up to (negative for motel) or they want to let other people in unnoticed (negative for hotel).

[Skittles88]

I'd be so tempted to say "neither, it's an inn!"

An Inn generally is a basic accomodation that provides a breakfast, free of charge, and some basic amenities like a pool or a hottub. An inn is usually motel style, but not always

[friendofjimmyk]

My friends daughters used to call any place they were staying that was away from home a "homotel'. I don't know if they were combining "hotel" and "motel" or it was a hybrid of "home" and "motel". It was cute though.

[Pagan]

And then you have the Residence Inn Extended Stay Hotel, which has all doors on outside, but includes a breakfast, hot tub, and pool.

[bhskittykatt]

This whole thread makes me get "Hotel motel Holiday inn" stuck in my head...

Typically I figure "Motel" is outside entrances and more basic amenities, whereas "Hotel" has more amenities and indoor corridors. Though my (now former) chain has "Motel" in the name, a few properties have indoor corridors and offer more amenities such as on-site restaurants, making them more hotel-like.

[Desk clerk knows all]

Are you not in the hotel/motel business anymore bhskittykatt?

[bhskittykatt]

Are you not in the hotel/motel business anymore bhskittykatt?

I posted under Bragging Base that I quit the motel yesterday, and am starting up at a resort in a bit over a week. (It's the one that's reopening after going bankrupt and closing last December.) So, same industry, new job.

[Cai1987]

I think it's more accurate to consider them to be two different ends of the spectrum of short-term lodging, with a lot of variation, blurring, and 'shades of grey' in between. Which means, toward the middle of the spectrum, you're going to find the terms used more-or-less interchangeably.

And sometimes not even at the ends of the spectrum. I worked for a bit at a relatively expensive (for the area), historic hotel. We had 20 pool-side rooms that were outdoor access only, picture windows out the front, and in fact didn't even have elevator access. Some people requested them specifically, though, because you couldn't smoke anywhere in the building, but the poolside rooms allowed smoking on the walkways.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I always thought that motels had accomadations, while hotels had additional things (banquet rooms, meeting rooms, casinos etc)

[Draper Mel]

There also may be a "skeezy" factor at work here. For some people, "motel" might mean hourly rates, magic fingers on the bed and a tendency to be crime scenes on cop shows.