La palabra motel es el acr?nimo de ?motorist hotel?, es decir, un tipo de alojamiento caracter?stico de carretera, usado principalmente por los viajeros como opci?n para descansar, recuperar energ?a y aprovisionarse para continuar con su viaje; estos sitios suelen tener una o dos plantas y a sus habitaciones se ingresa a trav?s de un largo pasillo desde la recepci?n directamente o incluso desde el parqueadero. Es propio decir que su origen se asocia con las grandes rutas o carreteras que cruzan a los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, actualmente estos hoteles se encuentran, no solo al lado de las carreteras, sino incluso dentro de las ciudades, debido a que el sistema se ha hecho muy popular por su ambiente ?ntimo y discreto. Tambi?n se han diseminado por todo el mundo copiando en parte el modelo que tanto se ha visto en el cine de Hollywood. Sin embargo, los moteles han adquirido otro significado en pa?ses como Colombia y en algunos otros de Centro y Suram?rica, en los que se distinguen por ser establecimientos p?blicos, situados fuera de los n?cleos urbanos, con entradas independientes desde el exterior y con garajes pr?ximos que permiten un ingreso m?s privado o reservado, pues son usados a menudo para encuentros ?ntimos de parejas (algunos de ellos extramatrimoniales), que por una u otra circunstancia quieren mantenerse en el anonimato o que desean experiencias arriesgadas, diferentes a lo convencional.The word motel is the acronym for "motorist hotel", that is, a type of characteristic road accommodation, used mainly by travelers as an option to rest, recover energy and provision to continue with their trip; these sites usually have one or two floors and their rooms are entered through a long corridor from the reception directly or even from the parking lot. It is proper to say that its origin is associated with the great routes or roads that cross to the United States. However, these hotels are currently located, not only on the roads, but also within the cities, because the system has become very popular due to its intimate and discreet atmosphere. They have also spread throughout the world copying in part the model that has been seen so much in Hollywood cinema. However, motels have acquired another meaning in countries such as Colombia and in some others in Central and South America, in which they are distinguished as public establishments, located outside the urban centers, with independent entrances from the outside and with nearby garages that they allow a more private or reserved income, because they are often used for intimate encounters of couples (some of them extramarital), who for one reason or another want to remain anonymous or who want risky experiences, different from the conventional.