Editing Motel (section)

===Layout===
Motels are typically constructed in an I-, L-, or U-shaped layout that includes guest rooms; an attached manager's office; a small reception; and in some cases, a small diner and a swimming pool. A motel was typically single-story with rooms opening directly onto a parking lot, making it easy to unload suitcases from a vehicle.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.thefreedictionary.com/motel |title= Motel |publisher= The Free Dictionary By Farlex |access-date=June 28, 2012}}</ref> A second story, if present, would face onto a balcony served by multiple stairwells.

The [[post-war]] motels, especially in the early 1950s to late 1960s, sought more visual distinction, often featuring eye-catching colorful [[neon sign]]s which employed themes from popular culture, ranging from [[Western (genre)|Western]] imagery of cowboys and Indians to contemporary images of spaceships and [[Atomic Age|atomic era]] iconography. [[U.S. Route 66]] is the most popular example of the "neon era". Many of these signs remain in use to this day.