Motels are being constructed all over the world to assist motorist travellers with their most burdensome problem--parking!
What is reckoned to be the biggest, automatic motel garage in the world was opened on 10th.May at Basel, Switzerland. An eight-storey parking garage, capable of holding 400 vehicles, the "Autosilop and Hotel International" took 3 1/2 years to build at a cost of GBP1 1/4 million (sterling). The outstanding feature is the fully automatic parking of the cars. A customer checks in at the entrance, obtains a parking ticket and drives the car into a cage. From that moment on the marvel of automation takes over. On leaving the vehicle the driver presses a button on the outside of the cage which sets in motion the machinery. The cage door closes, clamps fix on the wheels and a conveyor carries the car out of the cage on to an elevator.

The last stage of the cars journey takes it into a vacant parking box somewhere on the eight floors. When a customer returns the procedure is reversed and back comes the vehicle without any handling or driving by careless garage hands.

In addition to this efficient parking service there is also a petrol filling station, offering full garage facilities, installed by the British Petroleum Company.