"Sol-Mar Motel," Jacksonville Beach, Florida, circa 1955

By the 1950s, motels faced increasing competition from a plethora of other motels, more modern motor inns in urban areas, and the hugely popular Holiday Inn chain (started 1952). Newer motel designs like this one had multiple stories, swimming pools, and larger rooms with an array of features that included wall-to-wall carpeting, air-conditioning, free ice, in-room telephones, and TVs.