--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hotel was once where things…" description: "\"The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could meet both townspeople and travelers. Not so in a motel. No matter how you build it, the mote..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/william-least-heat-moon-11769_bigs_the-hotel-was-once-where-things-coalesce_1076959.jpg" --- # The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could… ![“The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could meet both townspeople and travelers. Not so in a motel. No matter how you build it, the motel remains the haunt of the quick and dirty, where the only locals are Chamber of Commerce boys every fourth Thursday. Who ever heard the returning…” quote by William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/william-least-heat-moon-11769_bigs_the-hotel-was-once-where-things-coalesce_1076959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/william-least-heat-moon-11769_bigs_the-hotel-was-once-where-things-coalesce_1076959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/william-least-heat-moon-11769_bigs_the-hotel-was-once-where-things-coalesce_1076959.jpg) > “The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could meet both townspeople and travelers. Not so in a motel. No matter how you build it, the motel remains the haunt of the quick and dirty, where the only locals are Chamber of Commerce boys every fourth Thursday. Who ever heard the returning traveler exclaim over one of the great motels of the world he stayed in? Motels can be big, but never grand.” [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contrasts hotels as communal hubs with motels as transient, impersonal stops lacking community. **In simple terms:** Hotels foster community; motels feel fleeting. Key Takeaway Seek places that nurture connection. Themes community transience urban design Mood nostalgic critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - travel planning - urban development - community building - hospitality training Key Concepts social spaces hospitality industry place identity Questions to Reflect On - What makes a place feel welcoming? - How can transient spaces foster community? A Different Perspective Motels can still offer meaningful encounters if reimagined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Chamber of commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chamber-of-commerce/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Thursday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thursday/) [Traveler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveler/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [There are a lot of funny motels. There was one motel in the middle of nowhere: it was real plain, but it had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-schneider/there-are-a-lot-of-funny-motels-there-was-one-motel-in-the-middle-of/) [Fred Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-schneider/) > [Why is it that they have Bibles in every motel room? Why should a man want to read the Bible when he's with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/why-is-it-that-they-have-bibles-in-every-motel-room-why-should-a-man/) [Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/) > [Isn't this a wonderful country? I was in Florida. I'm staying at a motel called the Three Palms. It's run by a middle-aged couple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/isn-t-this-a-wonderful-country-i-was-in-florida-i-m-staying-at-a/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [If you got up this morning and had fruits for breakfast, it was probably picked by the bent back of an immigrant worker. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-menendez/if-you-got-up-this-morning-and-had-fruits-for-breakfast-it-was/) [Bob Menendez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-menendez/) > [When I do think, ‘Man a f—cking motel room with a couple of thousand dollars worth of narcotics would do me right,’ I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony/when-i-do-think-man-a-f-cking-motel-room-with-a-couple-of-thousand/) [Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony/) > [SCCS, the source motel! Programs check in and never check out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/sccs-the-source-motel-programs-check-in-and-never-check-out/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [But I can also write in crappy motel rooms, while standing in line, or sitting in the dentist's chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/but-i-can-also-write-in-crappy-motel-rooms-while-standing-in-line-or/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Without stopping kissing her, he swept her up into his arms. They stood in the motel lobby kissing until someone called, "Get a room."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/without-stopping-kissing-her-he-swept-her-up-into-his-arms-they-stood/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [The man behind the check-in counter gives the impression that he has just axe-murdered the motel's owner (and family, and family pet) and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-quarrington/the-man-behind-the-check-in-counter-gives-the-impression-that-he-has/) [Paul Quarrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-quarrington/) > [We were so happy to be alive. There was a motel there pretty close. We had a big cup of coffee. Everybody had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-hundley/we-were-so-happy-to-be-alive-there-was-a-motel-there-pretty-close-we/) Rod Hundley > [Obviously some cheap motel is missing a shower curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-heenan/obviously-some-cheap-motel-is-missing-a-shower-curtain/) [Bobby Heenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-heenan/) > [I'm real. I believe what I'm saying. If Motel 6 wasn't the type of operation they say it is - and I stay at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-m-real-i-believe-what-i-m-saying-if-motel-6-wasn-t-the-type-of/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [A motel is where you give up good dollars for bad quarters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/a-motel-is-where-you-give-up-good-dollars-for-bad-quarters/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [You think the two of us and a slummy motel make for a dangerous combination?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/you-think-the-two-of-us-and-a-slummy-motel-make-for-a-dangerous/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [People feel vulnerable when they travel. Nobody wants to be taken advantage of or talked into something they don't want. Staying at Motel 6…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/people-feel-vulnerable-when-they-travel-nobody-wants-to-be-taken/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) ## More by William Least Heat-Moon > [I like the digressive kind of traveling, where there's not a particular, set, goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/i-like-the-digressive-kind-of-traveling-where-there-s-not-a/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [Memory is each man's own last measure, and for some, the only achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/memory-is-each-man-s-own-last-measure-and-for-some-the-only/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [I have not been on any river that has more of a distinctive personality than does the Missouri River. It's a river that immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/i-have-not-been-on-any-river-that-has-more-of-a-distinctive/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [At the beginning we learn to travel, then we travel to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/at-the-beginning-we-learn-to-travel-then-we-travel-to-learn/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [Beware thoughts that come in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/beware-thoughts-that-come-in-the-night/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [The four horsemen of the prairie are tornado, locust, drought, and fire, and the greatest of these is fire, a rider with two faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/the-four-horsemen-of-the-prairie-are-tornado-locust-drought-and-fire/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [For me, writing is not a search for explanations but a ramble in quest of what informs a place, a hunt for equivalents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/for-me-writing-is-not-a-search-for-explanations-but-a-ramble-in-quest/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [New ways of seeing can disclose new things: the radio telescope revealed quasars and pulsars, and the scanning electron microscope showed the whiskers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/new-ways-of-seeing-can-disclose-new-things-the-radio-telescope/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [When you're travelling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/when-you-re-travelling-you-are-what-you-are-right-there-and-then/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [“road so crooked it could run for the legislature,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/road-so-crooked-it-could-run-for-the-legislature/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [The biggest hindrance to learning is fear of showing one's self a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/the-biggest-hindrance-to-learning-is-fear-of-showing-one-s-self-a-fool/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/be-careful-going-in-search-of-adventure-it-s-ridiculously-easy-to-find/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [The thing that overwhelms me when I go out now is the sprawlation of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/the-thing-that-overwhelms-me-when-i-go-out-now-is-the-sprawlation-of/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/what-you-ve-done-becomes-the-judge-of-what-you-re-going-to-do/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [With a nearly desperate sense of isolation and a growing suspicion that I lived in an alien land, I took to the road in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/with-a-nearly-desperate-sense-of-isolation-and-a-growing-suspicion/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) [Explore all 57 William Least Heat-Moon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The hotel was once where things coalesced, where you could meet both townspeople and travelers. Not so in a motel. 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