On
Dec. 12, 1925, architect Arthur Heineman opened the country’s first roadside
motor hotel. The price of a room: $2.50 a night.Located along Highway 101 just north of San Luis Obispo, Calif., the Milestone Motel (later the Motel Inn) halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles had individual units and a parking space in front of each door. Those features would soon become standard as more Americans hit the road and the concept of motels, motor courts and motor lodges spread nationwide. More
