In the late 1970s when Joni Mitchell wrote the song “Blue Motel Room,” motels were still the side-of-the-road, no frills spaces they set out to be. They were places someone could lay low while in between the chapters of life; an unadorned spot to plop when eyes glazed over after being on the road awhile; or the place a jury might be relegated to to block out the world amidst a court case.