The Newest 'Made In China' Item: Hotels

"Visitors to the Olympics in 2012 will be staying in some hotels made in China.

Travelodge is planning to build several "modular" hotels in the capital in time for the Games. The 120-room structures, pre-built in metal containers in factories near Shenzhen, can be quickly dismantled and relocated for large events.

A company spokesman said yesterday that no specific sites had been identified yet. The prefab approach cuts building time by a quarter and costs by 10 per cent, allowing savings to be passed on in the form of cheaper room rates.

The first recyclable hotel is due to open in Uxbridge next month where rooms will cost as little as £19 a night. Another is expected near Heathrow by the end of the year. But Simon Storer, of the Construction Products Association, said: "Lowest cost is not necessarily best value as this doesn't take into account the CO2 emissions from the transport."

Unions also condemned the idea of exporting construction jobs abroad during a time of intense uncertainty in the British property industry."