Kilometer Stone No. 599 which is near Frastanz, which is near Feldkirch, which is in the province of Vorarlberg and right near the Swiss and Liechenstein borders. Highway No. 1 is the best road crossing Austria east and west. The Motel Galina is rated as an "A" type hotel, just one grade below DeLuxe. It has 86 beds, in all, and 28 private baths and you pay 200 to 400 shillings for a single with bath, or 120 to 150 shillings for a double with bath. Service charge is 15% but there are no other extras. I use the Galina just as an example. The motel is coming to Europe. You begin to see them in all countries which have a considerable automobile traffic, and that includes all of Western Europe, with the possible exception of Portugal. I don't recall ever seeing a motel in Portugal. But they are being built slowly because the idea is new to Europeans. Actually, even auto transport is new to Europe to any real extent. It has only been since the end of the Second World War that the average man has even dreamed of owning a car. But now every year that passes sees new hordes of tourists in automobiles. Parking problems are as real today in many European cities as they are in New York or Los Angeles. Service stations are going up everywhere and even in comparatively backward countries such as Spain, a drive-in movie house is being built near Madrid. One great advantage in building a motel in Europe is the relative cheapness of labor. Motels in the States now cost a fortune to erect. But in Europe? Ah, that's another matter. Nor need the project be as swank as American tourists now demand. Housing is short in Europe and the tourist is often hard pressed to find a place at night. A motel could be fairly simple by American standards and still find itself filled each night. An American with a bit of capital, say as little as fifty to seventy thousand dollars, could probably go into the motel business in various European countries. As I've already said, I'm not really up on the requirements, not having been able to talk to any of the various Americans who have opened such establishments. Further information on national laws could be obtained from the consulates of whatever nations interest you. Next: Chapter 13 - Great Britain
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