<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">I've recently been more involved with wikidata and come to appreciate the benefits of having a structured set of data interlinked by well defined properties. You can <a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216212">see here</a> that the current information there considers motels to be a subclass of hotels (so all motels are hotels, not all hotels are motels). Which makes sense to me, hotels are the short term accommodation part of your definition and then this can be further specified as a motel if it's build around a car parking area as the main attraction of the hotel.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div>In terms of the splitting hairs and tagging conversation, this seems to support the tourism=accommodation idea mentioned, but yeah existing tags are so widely used already...</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Mon, Dec 31, 2018 at 9:57 PM Warin <<a href="mailto:61sundowner@gmail.com">61sundowner@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
  
    
  
  <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
    <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529moz-cite-prefix">I am getting the same feeling for
      intermittent/seasonal and ephemeral ... should all be one top
      level tag. Sigh.<br>
      <br>
      n 01/01/19 02:37, Dave Swarthout wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite">
      
      <div dir="ltr">
        <div>Tobias wrote:</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>"Now that several comments here indicate that the only
          practical distinction today is the name on the front sign I
          come to think that we could abandon the tag altogether."<br>
        </div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>+1</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>I agree. We tend to "split hairs" in OSM, when in some
          cases it simply isn't worth the effort. These objects are just
          temporary accommodations that, granted, have varying
          characteristics. Here in Thailand, it's virtually impossible
          to differentiate between a guest_house and a hotel. And how
          should one tag facilities that label themselves as a "resort"
          (รีสอร์ท)? A better approach might (have been) to use a
          generic term like tourism=accommodation as a top level and
          then describe the facility more fully with subtags. Of course,
          we're pretty much stuck with the present imperfect tagging
          situation. <br>
        </div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>Dave<br>
        </div>
      </div>
      <br>
      <div class="gmail_quote">
        <div dir="ltr">On Mon, Dec 31, 2018 at 10:18 PM Tobias Wrede
          <<a href="mailto:list@tobias-wrede.de" target="_blank">list@tobias-wrede.de</a>> wrote:<br>
        </div>
        <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
          <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix">In
              Germany my experience is that actually most hotels in the
              cities charge for parking. On the other hand you find very
              very few that call themselves "motel". I can only think of
              one currently that does, and it is located within a
              motorway rest area. The exception is the chain Motel One
              which is a very typical _h_otel often located in city
              centers offering only limited parking.<br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix"><br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix">When
              I think of a motel I always picture those with doors
              opening to the car park from US movies. Now that several
              comments here indicate that the only practical distinction
              today is the name on the front sign I come to think that
              we could abandon the tag altogether. What value does it
              generate for the data consumer if tourism=motel and
              tourism=hotel is all but the same and practical
              distinction could for both be made by subtags parking=y/n,
              parking:fee=y/n, etc?</div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix"><br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix">Tobias<br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix"><br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix"><br>
            </div>
            <div class="gmail-m_1868299134917462529gmail-m_-3338625623664162624moz-cite-prefix">Am
              24.12.2018 um 01:12 schrieb Joseph Eisenberg:<br>
            </div>
            <blockquote type="cite"> In the USA, we would also assume a
              motel offers free parking. Hotels may charge extra for
              parking, especial if located downtown or next to an
              airport.<br>
              <br>
              Is this also the case in Europe and Australia?<br>
              <div class="gmail_quote">
                <div dir="ltr">On Mon, Dec 24, 2018 at 8:55 AM Dave
                  Swarthout <<a href="mailto:daveswarthout@gmail.com" target="_blank">daveswarthout@gmail.com</a>>
                  wrote:<br>
                </div>
                <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                  <div dir="ltr">
                    <div>"Today the main difference seems to be the sign
                      out front.  If a hostelry calls itself a motel, it
                      is a motel.  If it calls itself a hotel, it is a
                      hotel.  Local licensing authorities do not
                      differentiate between them and they are regulated
                      identically, so far as I can tell.  I'd say the
                      definition should be based on what is written on
                      the sign on the hostelry." <br>
                    </div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>+1</div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>That's my main criterion for tagging an
                      accommodation as a  motel. I agree with Volker's
                      points and Allan's view on this.</div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>Happy Holidays</div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>Dave<br>
                    </div>
                  </div>
                  <br>
                  <div class="gmail_quote">
                    <div dir="ltr">On Mon, Dec 24, 2018 at 6:27 AM Allan
                      Mustard <<a href="mailto:allan@mustard.net" target="_blank">allan@mustard.net</a>>
                      wrote:<br>
                    </div>
                    <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                      <div dir="ltr">Motel = MOtor hoTEL
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>The major difference between a 'hotel" and
                          a "motel" originally was the configuration of
                          the building with respect to parking.  At a
                          traditionally designed motel, the cars are
                          parked outside the units, which typically open
                          to the outdoors, not to a hallway, so that
                          patrons of the motel may come and go freely to
                          their automobiles.  Length of stay is
                          immaterial.  </div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>The first motels appeared on the Lincoln
                          Highway in the 1920s, if memory serves, and
                          had little carports capable of accommodating a
                          Model T Ford-sized automobile next to a cabin
                          (yes, the first motels featured cabins, not
                          rooms in a larger building). </div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>Then along came Motel 6, so called because
                          it charged $6 per night back in the day (it
                          featured coin-operated TVs and you paid extra
                          for everything but the bed, bath, and four
                          walls).  Many Motel 6s had hallways, and that
                          changed the design, but they still catered to
                          transients en route from Point A to Point B.</div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>Today the main difference seems to be the
                          sign out front.  If a hostelry calls itself a
                          motel, it is a motel.  If it calls itself a
                          hotel, it is a hotel.  Local licensing
                          authorities do not differentiate between them
                          and they are regulated identically, so far as
                          I can tell.  I'd say the definition should be
                          based on what is written on the sign on the
                          hostelry.  These are my two cents' worth based
                          on 30+ years of travel, including a few
                          cross-country trips across America as well as
                          extensive on-ground travel in Mexico, Russia,
                          and central Europe.</div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>Cheers and Merry Christmas to all!</div>
                        <div>apm-wa</div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                      <br>
                      <div class="gmail_quote">
                        <div dir="ltr">On Sun, Dec 23, 2018 at 4:33 AM
                          bkil <<a href="http://bkil.hu" target="_blank">bkil.hu</a>+<a href="mailto:Aq@gmail.com" target="_blank">Aq@gmail.com</a>>
                          wrote:<br>
                        </div>
                        <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                          <div dir="ltr">
                            <div dir="ltr">
                              <div>I've made a major rewording of this
                                tag. Please review and don't hesitate to
                                comment or improve if I've mistakenly
                                changed the meaning of the tag:</div>
                              <div dir="ltr"><br>
                              </div>
                              <div dir="ltr"><a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Tag%3Atourism%3Dmotel&type=revision&diff=1755686&oldid=1561324" target="_blank">https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Tag%3Atourism%3Dmotel&type=revision&diff=1755686&oldid=1561324</a></div>
                              <div dir="ltr"><br>
                              </div>
                              <div dir="ltr">Source: based on Wikipedia
                                and recent mapping experience:<br>
                              </div>
                              <div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/65702446#map=9/47.1412/18.6632" target="_blank">https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/65702446#map=9/47.1412/18.6632</a><br>
                              </div>
                              <div dir="ltr"><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>It also looks like some have used the
                                word motel for what should have been
                                pensions and guest houses around here,
                                I'll also fix these later.</div>
                            </div>
                          </div>
_______________________________________________<br>
                        </blockquote>
                      </div>
                    </blockquote>
                  </div>
                </blockquote>
              </div>
            </blockquote>
          </div>
        </blockquote>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
  </div>

_______________________________________________<br>
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<a href="https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging</a><br>
</blockquote></div>