Monday, September 16, 1957-Page 5
THOSE BOOMING MO TELS
Bigger and Better Than Ever, They're Revolutionizing Travel
and Making Motoring Safer
By MICHAEL KRAFT the driver in search for over- In the days of unpaved roads the car nearby and party noise at
Daily staf writer night accommodations usually had and unbillboarded country sides, a distance.
VOT SO MANY years ago, travel- to satisfy himself with cabins, many travelers "rolled their own" In Detroit for instance, the new
ing through the Midwest and fight traffic around a downtown sleeping bags and camped along motels are "not doing more than
other areas east of the Missi p hotel if nightfall found him stil the way. The efficient wife could keeping pace with closing hotel
was far more dangerous than in a city, or put up with a "Tourist take down the tent and break rooms" according to Leonard
driving through the "wild" West. Room" run by some "nice old" but camp in the time it took father Thomson, manager of the South-
For although the Indians in the partly deaf lady whose radio had to start the car and free it from eastern Michigan Tourist and
only one volume setting. the mud. Publicity Association.
western scene have long since con- Yet, as in many other fields, As men grew more muscular and Experienced hotel operator Tom
fined their attack on travelers to time and money have brought experienced in the ways of start- Murray declared "the hotel busi-
rugastndscthepid t astidlgreat changes. ing autos, people began developing ness is the only one still operating
r atnd, the tourist ith t- The old lady now has a televi- auto camps with facilities such as in the horse and buggy age.
threatened the tourist with tor- sion set. central toilet and shower build- "Motels are nothing but the off-
ture. To be sure, it was labeled In other changes since the late ings. Today, they throw in some spring of a rude awakening to the
and could be avoided, but after aaforties, the country cabins and picnic tables and call it a state hotel industry," he said. Murray
long day's drise with crying kids their mosquitos tNave been virtually park. now runs the 80-unit Golden Gate,
and a nagging wife, the sign pro- cushed out of business by the Then perhaps about the time Michigan's largest motel which
claiming "Tourist Cabins" was an spectacular construction of motels electric starters became standard opened in June in Ecorse township,
almost irresistible concealed trap. throughout the country. couipment and the crank could be midway between downtown Detroit
The small, under-sized, under- In Michigan alone, an estimated thrown away, traveling by car lost and Willow Run Airport.
heated and usually under-seiege- 100 motels are under construction its leisurely air. Since women had Because of the changing modes
by-mosquitos cabins continued to this year. also won their "freedom," some of American traveling and the
mar the midwest until only re- Generally following trends set enterprising observer decided dissatisfaction that existed among
cently in most areas, a traveler by clean and convenient accomo- travelers could save time by rent- commercial and pleasure travelers,
had to take it or drive on , , . and dations common in the west, build- ing a shelter and bed next to their we have to take the rooms out to
on and on. ers have pleased the eastern car. the highway," he said.
Despite civilization's longer ten- traveler with a wide variety of
ure in this part of the country, it cabin courts, motor courts, tourist HESE CRUDE cabins were theATTRIBUTING the increasing
was generally coceded that west- courts and motor hotels. beginning. But as driving be- comfort of motels to the higher
ern hospitality in the form of tween cities lost the atmosphere American standard of living, Mur-
clean, convenient motels was sev- WHATEVER they're called (usu- of adventure, hardship and rug- ray, who hails from County Sligo,
eral years ahead of eastern "gra- ! ally motels) they mark a pro- gedness, softer and more citified Ireland, said the living level de-
cious" living, gress just as extensive as the dif- souls began taking to the road. mands luxury conditions. "The
ference between today's collection For them, cabins were nearly motel or hotel should always be a
PERHAPS it was because the of horsepower and fins that the the end as the odor that perneated place to get the things you cannot
midwest seemed only flat farm modern traveler cruises in and the the shelters were not always pine find at home." THE NEWA
land to speed past on the way old hand cranked two-fiat-tires- wood, His own deluxe motel, con--"-. for motels, bit
to the west's wonders. However, per-mile vehicle he used to push. Today however, the nation's structed and owned by a group of
highways are flanked by rows of Detroit builders, is an example of Much of the bo
clean modern motels featuring air the growing trend in motels. of travel accomm
conditioning, wall to wall carpet- After their birth in cabins, cause of the trav
ing, telephones, television, radios, motels commonly took the form Tired of staying
and comfortably-decorated interi- of 10-15-unit operations located house, increasing
ors. The newer and bigger ones on the highways. Accommodations stopped at motels
boast swimming pools, lounges, were not particularly luxurious- Services like a t
tennis courts and helicopter ports. they offered primarily a comfort- board to answer
Yet the construction is not con- able and clean place to sleep with out are a must a
fined to rural areas. Within the the convenience of keeping the car in outlying areasc
cities themselves, a tremendous nearby. with the patterno
surge is evident in motel construe- But partly because of the centralization ofI
tion. Detroit issued 21 permits for traveler's ability to pay, and the offer the same se
motel construction in 1956 com- need to keep ahead of the competi- including cleaning
pared to 13 the year before, ion, motels offer more and more
Many others are being built in services. "And there is no doubt A A RESULT o
the surrounding suburbs. that the services are here to stay," and business t
Behind this boom is a public Murray claims, stemming largely f
that's increasingly traveling and counts, the genera
demanding. Where once they had LOOKING through the million- accommidations h
, to resign themselves to accommo- dollar Golden Gate as an ex- expects that roug
dations far inferior to their usual ample of what's offered in a mod- of his trade will cm
residence, many can afford and ern motel, one finds tiled showers and the remainde
want a more luxurious, air condi- and baths, wall to wall carpeting, travelers.
r F y t , tioned, and swimming pool living large screen television sets, AM And at the ot-
on their vacations, and FM radio, room operated air traveler's road, se
conditioning and telephone with bags and camping
ALSO, MOST communities have around the clock service. port that there is
lacked an adequate supply of The three two-storied balconies the sale of camr
high quality rooms for several structures surround a swimming State park officials
years. In Michigan, most of the pool and sports site. In the adja- more money to pr
hotels were built in the railroad cent nearby administration and facilities.
and steam boat area and do not lobby building are meeting rooms Traveling is get)
suit the auto traveler who likes for business and organization. saner, every year.
-..... . '., .,i; .... .... .. :".:~~~~~~~~..'..: " .+ . : gt rf r"r:.v ";::::." :"'a:iins vr:
V LOOK
gger and better
om in this type
odations is be-
veling salesman.
at the farmer's
numbers have
a.
elephone switch-
calls when he's
nd the locations
of the city fit in
of increasing de-
business. Motels
rvices as hotels,
g and ice cubes.
f the commercial
raveler's money,
from expense ac-
l level of tourist
as risen. Murray
hly 40 per cent
ome from tourist
er from business
her side of the
llers of sleeping
g equipment re-
a big boom in
ping equipment.
claim they need
ovide additional
ting safer, if not
S
MOTEL STRUCTURES-Large, modern buildings have replaced the
Individual cabin buildings and moved the cars further away.
cI.tc .sa < 0:;0 I ~
Record
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
FOUNTAIN SERVICE
"where students meet-
0II to chat and eat"
' ETSY ROSS SHOP
i in Nickels Arcade
! 1 I a
.N PSamo
w
f
;
:
r:
n5'
t
ti
i
N
Z':
"
l~
2
f
Y ."
DISC
SHQP
OPEN EVENINGS
near Campus Theater
" 9>
i < t s
s 5 T
s {ayl Z $
" A" # d' '-5"'
7
r j
;s
_ k
3 v;:; ,
!'_C)' ________________________________ ,tiil'tiit)"tl ,,..