Are Hotels Safer Than Motels?
Hotels are generally considered safer than motels due to controlled interior access and multi-layered security infrastructure. While hotels typically require guests to pass through a centralized, 24-hour staffed lobby to reach interior corridors, motels feature open drive-up layouts with exterior doors that allow direct, unmonitored access from parking lots.
Key Safety and Security Differences
- Access Control and Layout: Hotels restrict guest room entry through central interior hallways, electronic keycard-restricted elevators, and staffed front desks. In contrast, motel rooms open directly onto parking areas, allowing non-guests, vehicle traffic, and unauthorized visitors to approach room doors without passing property staff.
- Security Monitoring and Technology: Traditional hotels typically invest in 24/7 CCTV surveillance across lobbies and corridors, professional on-site security guards, and electronic door logging. Budget motels often rely on minimal staffing, unmonitored grounds, and basic manual deadbolts or chain latches.
- Location and Foot Traffic Risk: Hotels are predominantly constructed in commercial business centers, tourist zones, or master-planned districts with active municipal patrol. Budget motels frequently sit along isolated highway corridors or industrial perimeter roads, where low oversight and transient traffic can create recognized crime magnets.
Important Safety Factors to Consider
- Property Upkeep Outweighs the Label: A modern, well-lit, and reputable motel in a low-crime suburban or rural neighborhood can provide a very safe stay. Conversely, a poorly managed budget hotel with broken locks and unmonitored side doors carries significant premises liability risks.
- Neighborhood Foreseeability: Ultimately, safety depends on whether the property owner monitors crime patterns in the immediate area and implements standard physical security measures—such as perimeter fencing, adequate floodlighting, and active security patrols—to protect guests from foreseeable harm.
Are Motels Dangerous?
Of the many commercial locations where individuals are attacked due to inadequate security measures, budget hotels and motels stand out as some of the most dangerous settings for everyday citizens in the United States. These properties frequently attract criminal activity that would otherwise be deterred elsewhere. When substandard security and criminal activity persist, guests, patrons, or innocent bystanders are at risk of severe injury or death.
A micro-spatial analysis published in the Journal of Injury and Violence Research and archived by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/CDC) underscores this reality: across 15 major commercial and public property categories studied, the hotel and lodging property type experienced the highest average number of violent crimes per parcel (2.72), outpacing retail, service stations, and transit hubs. Furthermore, the study noted that lodging locations frequently feature severe outlier establishments where violent crimes occur at rates more than five to ten times the baseline average.
When someone is injured or killed by a third-party assailant on a commercial property, the victim or their family may be entitled to file a negligent security claim. Negligent security is a form of premises liability that holds landowners and business operators legally accountable when an individual is harmed due to a foreseeable violent criminal attack. In evaluating these claims, courts primarily focus on two questions:
- Did the property owner know (or should they have known) about the history of violent crime on or around the premises such that the attack was reasonably foreseeable?
- What reasonable security measures did the property owner take to protect lawful visitors and guests?
What’s the Difference Between a Hotel and a Motel? Are Motels Safe?
Although “hotel” and “motel” are frequently used interchangeably, their architectural layout marks a critical operational difference.
- Motels: Designed primarily for motorists, motels typically allow guests to access their rooms directly from an exterior parking lot, bypassing an enclosed lobby or centralized access checkpoint.
- Hotels: Require guests to enter a primary enclosed building to access interior hallways and guest rooms, typically passing through a monitored lobby or keycard-secured entryway.
Motels originated in the 1930s and 1940s as motor-friendly accommodations (combining the words “motorist” and “hotel”). Because vehicles can park directly outside individual guest room doors, motels offer convenience but also create vulnerabilities.
A would-be perpetrator can drive directly up to an exterior-facing room, carry out a robbery, assault, or drug-related crime, and flee by vehicle without ever having to walk past a front desk or an interior security corridor. While not all motels are inherently unsafe, this direct drive-up access significantly increases vulnerability when owners fail to invest in adequate perimeter surveillance, perimeter fencing, and physical security.
Lodging Industry Growth and Revenue Outlook
While many properties cite budget constraints when defending against inadequate security claims, the lodging industry as a whole operates on massive national economic scale. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) in its 2026 State of the Industry report, hotel guest spending across lodging, dining, transportation, and retail is projected to reach nearly $805 billion in 2026: up from record figures of approximately $777 billion in 2025 and $747 billion in 2024. Furthermore, hotel operations support approximately 2.2 million direct jobs with national wages and benefits projected to reach $131 billion in 2026. With industry revenues well past pre-pandemic levels, commercial lodging operators possess the financial tools and modern resources needed to implement standard physical safety protocols.
How Crime-Ridden Budget Hotels and Motels Impact Communities
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), chronically neglected lodging properties place severe burdens on local municipalities:
1. Consuming Emergency and Police Resources
Problem properties frequently generate disproportionate 911 call volumes for assaults, narcotics violations, disturbances, and weapons offenses. When motel owners rely on local police departments to resolve routine disturbances rather than contracting licensed security personnel, they effectively shift the cost of private property security onto municipal taxpayers. Because law enforcement generally responds only after a crime is underway or completed, this reactive cycle fails to deter future attacks or protect guests.
2. Stifling Local Economic Development
According to studies from the DOJ Office of Justice Programs, properties known for ongoing criminal activity suppress surrounding property values and discourage new businesses from investing in the area. Neighboring parcels frequently struggle to attract commercial tenants when adjacent lodging properties are perceived as unsafe.
3. Generating Crime Hot Spots
Without perimeter control and active visitor screening, neglected motels frequently turn into regional crime magnets. Under municipal laws, properties that continuously harbor repeat criminal offenses without corrective action can be declared a public nuisance, subjecting owners to citations, fines, or court-mandated abatement proceedings.
Common Safety and Criminal Issues at Budget Properties
Documented calls for service at high-risk lodging properties typically involve:
- Assaults and aggravated physical altercations
- Armed robbery, burglary, and room break-ins
- Vehicle theft and catalytic converter/property theft from parking lots
- Illegal drug distribution and narcotics activity
- Human trafficking and prostitution
- Domestic violence and non-guest trespassing
- Sexual battery and weapon offenses
Empirical research from the DOJ confirms that a significant portion of these incidents can be prevented through responsible management practices, environmental design (CPTED), and physical safeguards.
Standard Security Measures Expected of Hotel and Motel Operators
Under premises liability law, lodging operators must provide reasonable security measures proportional to the risk level of the area. Fundamental measures include the following:
- Hardware & Physical Access: Heavy-duty deadbolts, secondary door latches, wide-angle peepholes, solid-core doors, sturdy jambs, and security bars/pins on sliding glass doors.
- Lighting & Perimeter Control: High-lumen, continuous illumination across all parking lots, exterior corridors, stairwells, and recessed entryways.
- Active Surveillance: Operational, high-definition closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras covering entrances, exits, and parking lots, accompanied by active monitoring or reliable recording retention.
- Uniformed Security Guards: On-site licensed security patrols during peak hours of risk, particularly for properties located in high-crime sectors or those with documented histories of violent police dispatches.
- Guest & Visitor Verification: Strict visitor sign-in procedures, vehicle parking permit passes, and room-access controls that prevent non-guests from loitering in exterior hallways.
Legal Remedies for Inadequate Security Victims
When a patron, guest, or lawful visitor is killed as a result of criminal assault on a commercial property, the surviving family may pursue justice through a wrongful death negligent security claim.
Brought by the personal representative of the victim’s estate, this action seeks accountability for the landowner’s failure to foresee and prevent foreseeable harm. Compensation in these cases may cover outstanding medical and funeral expenses, lost financial support and future earnings, and the emotional pain and suffering endured by surviving dependents.
################# OLD CONTENT
Of the many locations where people are attacked due to poor security measures, budget hotels and motels stand out as one of the most dangerous locations for your average citizen in the US. As we will talk about more below, these types of properties often attract criminals who would otherwise go somewhere else. Ultimately, if criminal activity goes on long enough, a guest or patron of one of these locations, or even an innocent passerby, will get seriously injured or killed.
When someone gets hurt or killed by a third-party attacker at a business property, the victim or the victim’s family may be able to bring a claim for negligent security. This is a type of premises liability claim that holds landlords and business owners liable when someone gets hurt as a result of a foreseeable violent criminal attack. Essentially, the threshold questions in a negligent security claim are (1) did the landowner know about the history of violent crime on the property such that the attack at issue was reasonably foreseeable and (2) what steps did the landowner take to protect guests and visitors to the property.
What’s the Difference Between a Hotel and a Motel?
Although “hotel” and “motel” are often used synonymously, there is a important difference that stretches beyond the semantic. Namely, the difference between a hotel and motel is how the guest can access a room. At a motel, a guests can access their rooms directly, without having to enter a main building and pass through a lobby. However, at a hotel, guests must enter a main building to get to a room on the interior. This often involves entering through an outside door and passing through some sort of lobby.
Why Might a Motel be More Dangerous Than a Hotel?
Motels are types of lodging where drivers or motorists can drive right up to the room. They were originally marketed to drivers back in the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, the word “motel” comes from the combination of the words “motorist” and “hotel.”
Because of how easy it is to access a room at a motel, motels can be highly attractive to a would-be criminal. Think about it: The criminal can ride right up to the room, commit a crime, and make an escape, potentially without being seen.
However, at a hotel, the same criminal would have to enter a building, where there’s a higher chance of being seen by a staff member, another guest, or a security camera. This doesn’t mean that all motels are more dangerous than all hotels. This is certainly not the case. However, motels are typically more attractive to a would-be criminal, all things being the same.
Motel and Hotel Revenue in the US
According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the hotel and motel lodging industry posted more than $189 billion in revenue, soaring past the prior year’s $142.9 billion. Although revenues dropped significantly during the COVID 19 pandemic, revenues have since rebounded, ultimately surpassing the pre-pandemic numbers. This trend looks to be holding steady, and revenue numbers will likely post major year-over-year percentage increases into the future.
How Do Crime-Ridden Budget Hotels and Motels Cause Problems in Communities?
According to Guide Series published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, there’s a number of ways problem hotels and motels can cause serious problems for a community, including the following:
Consuming Police Resources
Many of these problem hotels and motels use a tremendous amount of police resources because of the sheer volume of service calls. Whether the calls are for disturbances, trespassing, or violent incidents, the police may have to respond to these locations multiple times per week or, in some cases, multiple times per day. When a hotel or motel chooses to use the police as security rather than hiring security for the premises, this is a way that the business can essentially get free security. In other words, rather than paying for security, these business owners let the taxpayers pay for security by using the police.
Our overworked police force can only handle so much. There’s a set number of police officers, and they have a limited amount of time. Thus, when a business doesn’t hire security and places that burden on the police, we all pay for it. Additionally, the police show up after the fact; they aren’t there to intervene before something terrible happens. So, this practice not only wastes resources, it also does nothing to protect guests and patrons.
Inhibiting Economic Development
In addition to consuming police resources that would otherwise flow to the community, problem hotels and motels tend to inhibit economic redevelopment, according to a study conducted by the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. This is common sense. When a business is planning for a new location or an additional location, the last thing they want to do is set up shop next to a crime-ridden hotel or motel.
Increased Crime in the Community
Budget hotels and motels also increase the amount of crime in the local community when they attract criminal activity to the premises. These properties can become a “crime magnet” for a city, making surrounding areas of the city into no-go zones. They can eventually become what’s known as a “public nuisance” when the criminal activity goes on for a sufficient amount of time and is known to the hotel or motel owner.
Typical Problems at Budget Hotels and Motels
There are a number of concerning issues that occur at budget hotels and motels, including the following:
- Calls for police service
- Disturbances
- Domestic violence
- Robbery, burglary, and theft
- Auto theft and break ins
- Public intoxication
- Vandalism and destruction of property
- Prostitution
- Drug dealing
- Physical altercations
- Sexual assault
- Kidnappings
According to the DOJ, these are the types of issues that could be reduced by better management, design, and overall regulation.
Security Measures That Should be in Place at a Hotel or Motel
Deadbolts, peepholes, door chains, solid doors, solid frames, and working telephones are some of the basic security measures that should be in place in every hotel and motel. Additionally, motels with a history of crime might run into liability issues if they don’t employ an adequate number of security guards, install security cameras, or secure any sliding doors with a bar that prevents opening. The security measures that should be implemented at a given hotel or motel will depend upon the frequency of criminal activity on the property and the type of criminal activity on the property, which brings us back to this issue of the “foreseeability” of violent crime occurring.
What Can You Do When a Loved One Dies Because of Negligent Security at a Hotel or Motel?
The proper cause of action when a loved one is killed because of negligent security is a wrongful death lawsuit. This is a very similar cause of action to a personal injury case, except that the person bringing the claim is the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate. In other words, the claim or right to compensation survives, even when the victim doesn’t.