Entering ictionaries after World War II, the word motel, an abbreviation of motor and hotel or motorists' hotel, referred initially to a type of hotel in the form of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and, in some circumstances, a common area; or a series of small cabins with common parking. As the United States highway system began to develop in the 1920s, long distance road journeys became more common and the need for inexpensive, easily accessible overnight accommodation sited close to the main routes, led to the growth of the motel concept.