Home Inns to launch container hotel unit

Home Inns and Hotels Management Inc, China's leading budget hotel chain group, said it will launch a new sub-brand, with hotel rooms composed of containers, tents, touring cars and log cabins.

The first such hotel complex, will be built in suburban Shanghai, and the company is currently in the process of site selection.

The group has taken the step in a bid to reduce operational costs. Next spring, the first hotel under the new sub-brand is expected to start operation, said the firm, adding that it costs 150,000 yuan ($21,740) and 45 days to build a container hotel.