Motor Court Mania

The advent of auto travel and the development of interstate roads really changed the face of travel. Now the promise of the open road was available to everyone...if only there were a place to stay. While hotels had been around for a long time prior to this, then tended to be expensive and usually located within cities and not necessarily handy to the interstate roads of travel. For the hardy, autocamping was one possibility, but for many, it was just a bit too rustic and, over time, the autocamps gained a somewhat unsavory reputation. Enter the Motor Court. All the comforts of home in an atmosphere that more closely approximated one's "home". The fashion and styles of these varied greatly, from programmatic or themed buildings like teepees and English cottages to the precursors of standard motels. Most of these were "mom and pop" operations that sprung up as necessity dictated. Because they didn't have the advertising strength of the more proper (and more expensive) hotels, many of the owners joined syndicates which collectively advertised and attempted to maintain specific standards so that guest could feel comfortable that any motor court within a given syndicate would have amenities roughly comparable from location to location.

Motor Courts flourished up until the late 50s to early 60s when the motel juggernauts like Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, and others cashed in on the brand recognition and consistency that consumers of that period craved. While Motor Courts continued to operate, since the 60s they have been in steady decline though many still operate today (in varying capacities...cough cough). Many of the early syndicates though (like Best Western and Quality Inn) continued to operate through the evolution from Motor Courts to motels.