Repurposed Shipping Containers Become Spiffy Lodging

Last Updated: February 11, 2021

Just outside of Round Top, TX, a town about an hour’s drive from Austin, is home to the newest chic hotel to hit the area in a long time. The Flophouze Shipping Container Hotel doesn’t look like a boutique hotel from the highway with its colored shipping containers that you’d typically see belted to a railroad car. 

Modern Lodging 

Upon further review, the narrow metal boxes divulge the shipping container’s unique personality. Each shipping container has a small deck with lounge chairs that offer unmatchable views of the Texas sunset. Fire pits dot the landscape, each one surrounded by chairs and a hammock, giving each guest the invitation to relax and enjoy the view. 

The Perfect Setting

Round Top, known for its antique fairs and eccentric customers, is the perfect set up for this new lodging adventure. Each container cabin may be shaped like a mobile home, but the rooms inside give off a rustic, chic and open feel, making these double-wide shipping containers the perfect getaway.  

Each container hotel comes equipped with a living room, kitchenette with a coffee maker, refrigerator and microwave, a bathroom, and a roomy bedroom. Sizable windows and reclaimed wood paneling in the rooms give off a bright and airy feel. 

The Flophouze Hotel’s creator and owner, Matt White, has been attending Round Top antique fairs for the past 20 years and decided the town was ideal for creating his vision of the shipping container hotel concept. 

From Trash to Treasure

The interior of each uniquely designed shipping container hotel has storied pasts, including gathered wood from a farm in upstate New York and reclaimed lumber from a distillery in Kentucky. The windows were salvaged from a school in Philadelphia that was scheduled for demolition.  

In the kitchen, you will find funky cabinet bases purchased from a laboratory in Brooklyn, along with countertops taken from an old bowling alley floor in Texas. The floors are the original shipping container floors, which have traveled worldwide.  

Each container has vintage rugs, art, and fixtures gathered from antique shops across the globe to finish it off. The Flophouze Hotel is without a doubt a unique place to stay. 

The Community

There are six “Flophouzes” and are in the process of completing more by the end of the year. Each “houze” has complimentary coffee and tea, sparkling water, and Mexican Cokes. Round Top is just a short drive from The Flophouze Hotel, and there is a market for light snacks and sundries. 

The shipping container lodging community shares its 5-acre lot with the founder’s architectural salvage business, Recycling the Past. There is also a 12,000 square foot on-location store and a showroom full of reclaimed finds that can be purchased. 

What is Your Dream? 

Just like The Flophouze Hotel’s creator, Matt White, was able to see his vision come to life with the aid of shipping containers. With the right tools and know-how, you too can watch your dream become a reality. Let us help you discover the world of durable, safe, and affordable used shipping containers by browsing shipping containers near you.