Travelodge is taking hotel recycling to a new level. They are building a pop-up hotel in West London using the large metal shipping crates that are ubiquitous at every shipping port. Many crates sit idle and can be a waste disposal problem so finding a new use for them is a win-win situation.

In China the crates have been modified to include bathrooms and windows and furnishings will be added in England once the hotel is assembled. The hotel chain feels this construction method and the flexibility to dismantle the hotel will allow them to meet the fluctuating demand levels that accompany major sporting events like the Olympics.

The 120 room hotel will be 10% cheaper to build than comparable hotels and cost only 19 pounds a night - a deal in London. I think reusing shipping containers is a great idea and may provide some positive spin-offs if the technology can also create affordable housing in urban centres. It remains to be seen how people like living in shipping crates, but I've stayed in hotels where a clean crate would have been a step up so lets give it a try!