There is a special designation with being the first. Often times when it happens the person creating it doesn't even know what they have created.
In San Luis Obispo, The Motel Inn is the first lodging location using the word "motel". It was constructed in 1925 by Arthur Heineman. Originally the name was Milestone Mo-Tel. "Mo-Tel" was a derivation of the words "Motor" and "Hotel".
The concept of the motel derived from the need to provide travelers with a place to stay. In the early days of auto-touring travelers would stay at campgrounds or covert their vehicles to sleeping quarters. Although hotels have been around for many years, they were usually located in large cities. At the time San Luis Obispo was a small stopover on the way from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
The motel was planned as a quick, convenient locations where travelers could just drive up close to their room, sleep indoors, and take a nice hot shower. Some early motels (also known as auto courts) had private garages. The cost of building the motel was $80,000 and the nightly rate was $1.25 per room.
