In a lot of hotels, getting to your room requires walking though a lobby that’s attended by staff and where there might be other visitors milling about. If you

In a lot of hotels, getting to your room requires walking though a lobby that’s attended by staff and where there might be other visitors milling about. If you bring an additional guest to your room, those people might notice. In a motel, the door to your room is probably facing a parking lot. It might be visible from the street, and less private in that sense, but there’s less possibility of somebody noticing who entered the room vs. who checked in.