We hear a lot about shipping containers being reclaimed and transformed into all sorts of things (sometimes with cool results, sometimes not so much). But rarely are refrigerated semi-trailers converted for a fun new use, especially in a way that keeps their mobility intact. A new hotel project in Poland called Good Spot makes use of a local overabundance of these trailers, giving them a minimalist makeover and allowing them to roam the countryside for comfortable off-grid lodging.

“Every year, huge amounts of isothermal refrigerated semi-trailers withdrawn from the market are imported to our country,” says architecture firm Znamy Sie. “Poland is thus becoming a cemetery for these disused trucks. Our project, prepared in cooperation with Good Spot, involves upcycling, i.e. increasing the value of the material and changing the purpose of cold storage to hotel rooms. By renovating the trailer, we give it a second life!”
The founders of Good Spot hired Znamy Sie to realize their vision. “The idea was born during a kitesurfing trip to Hel, where the key is to follow a good wind,” they explain. “What if the hotel room could move around" What if it could stay in places offering the best conditions and closeness to nature"” Thus, the first mobile hotel chain in Poland was born.

Each portable camper unit began as an abandoned, rusted-out trailer in need of some love. And while shipping containers have thin steel walls, re...