The word motel originates from the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo, constructed in 1925 by Arthur Heinman. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the motel (aka the MOtor hoTEL) referred initially to a single building of connected rooms whose doors face a parking lot and/or common area, and their creation was driven by increased driving distances on the United States highway system that allowed easy cross-country travel.
Unlike their predecessors, auto camps and tourist courts, motels quickly adopted a homogenized appearance. Typically one would find an 'I' or 'L' or 'U' shaped structure that included rooms, an attached manager's office, and perhaps a small diner. Even so, postwar motels often featured eye-catching neon signs which employed pop culture themes that ranged from Western imagery of cowboys and Indians to contemporary images of spaceships and atomic symbols.
The motel began in the 1920s as mom-and-pop motor courts on the outskirts of a town. They attracted the first road warriors as they crossed the U.S. in their new automobiles. They usually had a grouping of small cabins and their anonymity made them ideal trysting places (or the "hot trade" in industry lingo). Even the famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde were frequent guests, using motels as hideouts. The motels' potential for breeding lust and larceny alarmed then FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who attacked motels and auto camps in an article he penned called "Camps of Crime", which ran in the February 1940 issue of American Magazine.
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Alpha-Pac - Offering inventory and cost control software for the hospitality industry.
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Meta Description: [ Software for the management of
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Application Software Associates - Offering lodging management software. Includes reservations, accounting, guest services.
Meta Description: [ Application Software Associates Lodging Management Software for Hotel / Motel / Resort Condominiums including Reservations, Accounting, Guest Services ]
Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. - Software and e-solutions for the hospitality industry and for managing back office operations of hotels.
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Barry Stevens Business Software - Hotel stock-take system for Bar/Bottle shop report on sales, profits and discrepancies.
Bartech - Mini-bar management systems.
Meta Description: [ More than 125 versions of minibar. Bartech can supply any door or cabinet finish in accordance with the guestroom's decor. ]
BugHotel - An automated online booking system designed for the internet. Complete hotel booking and accounting software package.
Meta Description: [ Automated online booking system designed for the internet. Complete hotel reservation system for your site. ]
Hospitality Accounting Services, Inc. - Hotel accounting services company that offers multi-faceted accounting services to the hotel industry.
Meta Description: [ Hospitality Accounting Services is a multi-faceted
company that provides hotel accounting and internal
control auditing, data archiving and report
automation systems and hotel information systems
consulting. It is Hospitality Accounting Services's
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Hotel Property Management Systems - Accounting software for the Hotel and Leisure industry. Resort Systems Inc. is a time and space management company providing software solutions for the Hotel, Leisure, and Storage industries on a world-wide scale.
Hotel Web Hosting - RoomLinX DirectConnect provides the most, cost-effective solution for High Speed Internet Access available to hotels, convention centres and other commercial buildings. RoomLinX is transferring data at 10 MBPS using wireless technology.
Meta Description: [ RoomLinX is the leader in providing Wireless High Speed Internet network solutions to hotels and conference centers. ]
InnQuest Software - Offer roomMaster 2000, a hotel property management system for all scales of business. Includes reservations, confirmations, housekeeping and guest ledger functionality.
Meta Description: [ Hotel Software and Motel Software for Windows ]
Logisoft Computer Systems Ltd - Cyprus developer of multi-lingual hotel accounting management software. Features downloads and contact information.
Meta Description: [ Leading Business Software Solutions Provider. Mini-ERP system ]
M3 Hotel and Home Office Accounting - An inexpensive method of gathering financial data from multiple locations. Hotel accounting system.
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Mingus Software - RoomMaster 2000 offers a fully-integrated software solution for any property of any size including small resort, corporate hotels and corporate chains.
Meta Description: [ Logiciel, gestion hôtelière hotel, motel, réservation hotel, tourisme, travel, accomodations, accomodate, rooms, bookings, stay, sleep, availability, ]
Qsau - Offers a customer, booking and financial management package designed for smaller operations.
Remco Software - Offers NiteVision, a hotel management software package which interfaces with modules such as call accounting and doorlock systems.
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Summit Hotel Management Company - Financial planning and central accounting are keys to a property's success. Summit's staff of certified public accountants supervise all hotel accounting procedures. Summit provides a variety of accounting management support systems tailored to each hotel's specific needs.
TCS Systems - Guest Tracker - Offers management and reservation software with accounting functions. Includes online ordering and demo download.
Meta Description: [ Hotel Software by Guest Tracker is designed as a hotel management and reservation software solution for all types of hotels, motels, resorts, property management and more. ]
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