Motel

A Motel is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles. A motel commonly consists of a single building of connected rooms whose doors face a parking lot and, in some circumstances, a common area; or a series of small cabins with common parking.Motels are typically constructed in an 'I'- or 'L'- or 'U'-shaped layout that includes guest rooms, an attached manager's office, a small reception and, in most motels, a swimming pool, some cases, a small diner. A motel could range from a small single story to a six-floor high-rise form.

In fiction
In horror fiction, the most famous motel in the world is without question the Bates Motel, located just off the beaten path near Phoenix, Arizona. The motel was owned and operated by Norma Bates and her husband up until his demise, as well as her own passing some years later. When Norma died, ownership of the motel went to her son, Norman Bates. Norman had a peep-hole drilled into the bathroom of the one of the cabins so he could spy on people as they took a shower. The Bates Motel gained some measure of infamy in 1960 when Norman Bates murdered a woman Marion Crane in the bathroom of her cabin.

Another motel of lesser reknown is Motel Hello from the 1980 horror film Motel Hell. It's uncomplimentary nickname is derived from the fact that the neon "O" in "Hello" was broken, making the word appear to say "Hell" instead. The motel was owned by Vincent Smith and his younger sister Ida and also boasted it's own sordid history of macabre murders.