User talk:Lifeguard Emeritus

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[edit] Motel photo

Hi there. Good to see someone giving the motel article some serious attention. I noticed you've substituted the photo of a Howard Johnson's motel in the article with another featuring a motel that uses tepees as accommodation, for the reason that the Howard Johnson's is no longer a Howard Johnson's. It's great to see a photo of something as unusual as the Wigwam Motel but I wonder if the substitution was appropriate. Whilst the HoJo might no longer be so, it does serve as a far more typical image of a motel and, as such, I think, is a better lead illustration of the subject. I'd like to suggest restoring the earlier photo and amending its caption appropriately and placing the Wigwam Motel image further down in the article. It could serve to illustrate a new section within the article, something, perhaps, which describes the lengths to which some motel operators will go in attracting customers in a highly competitive environment... Alchemagenta (talk) 20:39, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I understand your point and appreciate your comments. One reason I did the substitution was because of aesthetics. The former HoJo is run down looking and messy, as befits a college dorm (LOL). Also, the Wigwam motels, and less unusual ones, were mainstays on Route 66, which in large part gave rise to the modern motel. I am not opposed to moving the Wigwam image down if you feel strongly about it, although possibly a caption about the unique motels that sprang up on Route 66 might be adequate. I do think a better photo than the former HoJo would be more appropriate if you still feel strongly about moving the Wigwam one. Please let me know your thoughts on this. --Lifeguard Emeritus (talk) 21:43, 19 April 2008 (UTC)