Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
lock down
These hotels give guests a chance to sleep in luxury prison cells
You are allowed to leave whenever you want – once you’ve paid the bill, of course.
THE NEW SERIES of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black seems to be going down quite well and people are already looking forward to what might be ahead in Season 4 as we have been left with some great cliff-hangers.
Though the show can be dark and gritty at times, it has also served to somewhat glamorise prison life and a number of hotels across the world have capitalised on the general fascination with prison life that we humans seem to have developed over the centuries.
If you ever found yourself thinking you would not mind a night in a cell but don’t want to have to commit a heinous crime in order to do so, you might want to add a couple of these to your list of future holiday destinations.
Het Arresthius in the Netherlands
Located in the picturesque Dutch town of Roermond and close to the German border, the hotel’s building originally served as a house of detention and later a state prison. It opened as a hotel in 2011. Though many features of the prison – including the bars on the windows – have been retained, its décor still has a modern feel.
Guests have a choice between comfort cells, made up of three former prison cells and deluxe cells, which are housed in former recreation rooms.
Malmaison in England
Even closer to home is this Oxford hotel which is part of a Grade 1 listed medieval castel. The prison closed in 1996 and was transformed into a boutique hotel incorporating the castle walls and many features of the prison.
It has 95 rooms in total. The large cells boast facilities that none of the inmates would have ever experienced, like power showers, mood lighting and 24 hour room service.
Langholmen in Sweden
Though it looks fairly grim from the outside, the hotel in Stockholm has been transformed into a modern hotel, hostel, conference centre, restaurant and prison museum.
It operated as a prison between 1725 and 1975 and was one of the largest in Sweden, with over 500 cells.
Guests can either visit the prison during the day to see how former inmates lived or stay in one of their converted cells.
The Liberty in the US
The former Charles Street Jail in Boston was built in 1851 and housed inmates such as Malcolm X and World War II prisoners of war.
Today it is a modern luxury hotel with six bars (the kind with alcohol, not the kind on the windows) and restaurants.
The rooms are huge – a far cry from the 80 square feet of the original cells back in the day.
Best Western Premier Katajanokka in Finland
Previously Helsinki County Prison, serving pre-trial criminals between 1837 and 2002, this is another hotel that doesn’t look like much from the outside.
However extensive renovations, reportedly costing €15 million were undertaken to rework the building in keeping with historic building guidelines.
Sets of two or three cells were combined to create larger rooms and the restaurant boasts a prison theme, with exposed brick walls, barred windows and medieval-style chairs.
Four Seasons Sultanahmet, Turkey
If you’re looking for extreme luxury within a prison structure, this is the place. The Istanbul hotel is found in a century-old neoclassical prison in the old city.
It operated between 1919 and 1969 and was used to house inmates who were awaiting trial or serving brief sentences as it was adjacent to the courthouse.
The rooms are huge and bear no resemblance to the old cells with private bars, large plasma televisions and marble bathrooms.
From its rooftop lounge, while sipping wine, you can enjoy views of wellknown landmarks like the Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
have your say