# motel

/moʊˈtɛɫ/ (US) · /məʊtˈɛl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/motel
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. roadside hotel

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

a hotel near a main road where you can park your car right outside your room.

For teachers: a hotel situated near a highway, specifically designed to accommodate motorists with parking spaces adjacent to room entrances.

- We were too tired to keep driving, so we stopped at a motel for the night.
- The family opted for a budget motel on the outskirts of the city to avoid the high parking fees charged by downtown hotels.

Usage: Often used as a countable noun; the term is more common in North America than in Europe.

### 3. to stay in a motel

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal

to spend the night in a motel while travelling.

For teachers: to lodge in a motel or series of motels during a journey. Intransitive use.

- We decided to motel our way across the country instead of camping.
- They spent the summer motelling across the Southwest, enjoying the kitschy decor of the vintage roadside stops.

## Examples

- We stayed at a cheap motel on our way to the coast.
- After driving for ten hours straight, they pulled into the first motel they saw on the highway.
- The classic American motel, once a symbol of the open road, has largely been replaced by modern hotel chains that offer more amenities but less character.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.