One of the most striking reimaginings of hospitality is the shift from jail to luxury, where areas that were originally designed to limit freedom instead provide luxury and relaxation. The prisons keep their harsh exterior but completely change their function, turning exercise yards into courtyards and cells into suites. The irony is not missed on visitors who willingly stay in places where others were once detained against their will, providing distinctive lodgings that combine sordid past with contemporary friendliness.
Here are 20 of the former prisons which have been repurposed as hotels, each with its own intriguing mixture of historical value and contemporary convenience.
Het Arresthuis
This former prison in Roermond, Netherlands, transforms 19th-century detention facilities into luxury accommodations that preserve the original cell doors and barred windows. The hotel maintains the austere beauty of the prison architecture while adding modern amenities like heated bathroom floors and designer furnishings.
Guests can choose between standard rooms in former cells or luxury suites in what were once communal areas for guards.
Hotel Katajanokka
Helsinki’s most unusual accommodation is located in a red-brick prison built in 1837, which housed a diverse range of individuals, from political prisoners to common criminals, until 2002. The Gothic Revival architecture creates a dramatic backdrop for modern Scandinavian design, with original cell doors now opening onto comfortable guest rooms.
The hotel’s restaurant operates in the former prison chapel, where inmates once attended mandatory religious services.
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Malmaison Oxford
This boutique hotel transforms Oxford’s Victorian county prison into a sophisticated retreat that celebrates rather than hides its carceral past. The original cell blocks now house themed suites, while the prison yard serves as a peaceful courtyard garden where guests can dine outdoors.
The bar occupies the former governor’s quarters, creating an atmosphere where guests can literally drink where the warden once worked.
Liberty Hotel
Boston’s most distinctive accommodation transforms the granite fortress of the Charles Street Jail into a luxury destination that celebrates its criminal heritage. The hotel’s marketing embraces the prison theme with slogans like ‘experience captivating freedom,’ while the restaurant names reference the building’s history.
The soaring central atrium preserves the original architecture while creating a dramatic space for cocktails and conversation.
Langholmen Hotel
Stockholm’s former prison island offers budget accommodations in actual prison cells that maintain their original Spartan character. The hotel preserves the authentic prison atmosphere, complete with narrow bunks and small windows, while incorporating modern amenities like private bathrooms.
The island setting creates a unique urban retreat where guests can explore the surrounding park and waterfront between stays in their temporary cells.
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Four Points by Sheraton Fremantle Prison
One of Australia’s most historic prisons becomes a comfortable hotel that offers guests the chance to sleep in cells where hardened criminals once served their sentences. The limestone prison walls and original cell doors create an authentic atmosphere while modern renovations ensure contemporary comfort levels.
The prison’s exercise yard now serves as an event space where guests can host functions in what was once a place of punishment.
Alcatraz Hotel
Germany transforms Kaiserslautern’s former military detention center into themed accommodations, where each room reflects a different aspect of prison life. The hotel maintains the institutional feel with metal doors and sparse furnishings while ensuring guests enjoy modern amenities and comfortable beds.
The communal areas occupy former guard stations and administrative offices, creating social spaces where surveillance used to take place.
Hotel Lloyd
Amsterdam’s former Bijlmerbajes prison has been transformed into an artistic retreat that celebrates creativity within spaces once designed for confinement. The hotel partners with local artists to transform cells into unique accommodations that challenge perceptions about freedom and restriction.
The common areas feature art installations and performance spaces that turn the former prison into a canvas for creative expression.
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Hostel Celica
Ljubljana’s military prison has been transformed into one of Europe’s most creative hostels, where artists have converted each cell into a unique sleeping space with individual themes and designs. The original prison bars and cell doors remain intact while murals, sculptures, and artistic installations create a gallery-like atmosphere.
The former exercise yard serves as an outdoor café where guests can relax in spaces where prisoners once walked in circles.
Jail Hotel Lowenstein
This Swiss accommodation maintains the austere atmosphere of its former prison life while providing comfortable lodging for budget-conscious travelers. The original cell structure remains largely unchanged, with guests sleeping in spaces that once housed actual prisoners.
The hotel’s restaurant operates in the former prison kitchen, serving meals in the same space where institutional food was once prepared for inmates.
The Oxford Malmaison
England’s Victorian prison architecture provides a Gothic backdrop for this luxury hotel, which transforms cells into sophisticated suites. The original prison chapel now serves as a stunning event space for weddings and conferences, complete with original stained glass windows.
The hotel maintains many original features, including cell doors and prison corridors, while adding contemporary furnishings that soften the institutional atmosphere.
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Jailhotel Löwengraben
Switzerland’s Lucerne transforms its 19th-century prison into accommodations that preserve the authentic prison experience while ensuring guest comfort. The original cell doors open onto rooms furnished with prison-style bunks and minimal décor that maintains the institutional aesthetic.
The hotel offers guests a unique experience of voluntary confinement in spaces where involuntary detention once took place.
Hotel Kriminalmuseum
Germany’s Rothenburg ob der Tauber combines accommodation with education by housing guests in a former medieval prison attached to a crime museum. The hotel rooms occupy cells where accused witches and other prisoners were held, awaiting trial or punishment during the Middle Ages.
The combination of lodging and historical education creates an immersive experience that brings medieval justice systems to life.
Former HMP Shepton Mallet
England’s oldest prison transforms into a unique event venue and occasional accommodation, preserving the complete prison experience. The Victorian-era cells and corridors remain exactly as they were when the prison closed, creating an authentic atmosphere for ghost tours and historical experiences.
The facility offers overnight stays that allow guests to experience what it might have been like to spend a night behind bars.
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Hotel Seehof
Austria’s Zell am See transforms a former prison into lakeside accommodations that contrast the beauty of Alpine scenery with the stark reality of incarceration. The prison’s original architecture remains visible while modern renovations create comfortable spaces for travelers exploring the Austrian Alps.
The location demonstrates how buildings can be redeemed through new purposes that serve community needs rather than punishment.
Gläfshús Prison Hostel
Iceland’s Selfoss converts a modern prison into budget accommodations that maintain the institutional atmosphere while welcoming international travelers. The cells retain their original sparse furnishings and metal doors, while common areas provide spaces for socializing and meal preparation.
The hostel offers guests an authentic prison experience without the commitment of actual incarceration.
5 Terres Hotel & Spa
France’s Barr transforms a former women’s prison into a luxury spa retreat that completely reimagines the purpose of institutional architecture. The original prison walls now enclose peaceful gardens and relaxation areas where stress relief replaces stress creation.
The transformation demonstrates how spaces designed for punishment can be repurposed for healing and rejuvenation.
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Hotel de Brienne
France’s Toulouse converts military prison facilities into accommodations that preserve the institutional character while serving civilian guests. The original cell structure provides unique room layouts that can’t be found in conventional hotels.
The military architecture creates a distinctive atmosphere that appeals to travelers seeking unusual accommodations with historical significance.
Prison Hotel
Belgium’s Antwerp maintains the complete prison atmosphere in accommodations that preserve original cells, bars, and corridors exactly as they appeared during active operation. The hotel offers various room categories, based on the former prison hierarchy, ranging from basic cells to more comfortable quarters that once housed trustees.
The authentic preservation creates an immersive experience that borders on historical reenactment.
Das Gefängnis
Austria’s Gmünd transforms a regional prison into boutique accommodations that strike a balance between historical preservation and modern comfort requirements. The hotel preserves its original architectural features while offering contemporary amenities and comfortable furnishings.
The former prison yard becomes a beer garden where guests can socialize in spaces once dominated by surveillance and restriction.
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From Confinement to Comfort
These prison hotel renovations are prime examples of architectural redemption, where buildings designed to punish and confine now seek to welcome and comfort global travelers. This process of repurposing requires an awareness both to the past and to contemporary hospitality needs, enabling spaces to honor the past while serving present aims.
Every reformed prison teaches us about how buildings can be transformed beyond their purpose, and that buildings in themselves are not good or evil but expressions of what society decides to put them to use for. These amazing transformations remind us that even the most repressive structures can be reconfigured to foster liberty, creativity, and human connection.
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