6 Impressive luxury hotels in the world that used to be prisons

Sarah Khan

10 Apr 2018

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Hotel Liberty (Offenburg, Germany)
This former prison has been adapted to include 38 spacious guestrooms and suites, furnished with distressed leather touches, oak floors, and handcrafted furniture all created by their local craftspeople. The thick original walls and steel doors the hotel still retains are perhaps the only indication that it was once a prison. Its fine dining grill restaurant Wasser&Brot, a reference to the inmate's daily diet of water and bread, is also a nod to its prison past.

Photo: Hotel Liberty
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Malmaison Oxford (Oxford, England)
Get this: the Malmaison Oxford is nearly a 1000 years old. It was actually once a former medieval castle, before being turned into a prison - which it served as recently as 1996, where it was then turned into one of the world's most luxurious prison boutique hotels. Interestingly, it's also a surprisingly popular wedding venue.

Photo: Malmaison Oxford
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Liberty Hotel (Boston, U.S.A)
This uber trendy hotel was formerly the Charles Street Jail, which served as a prison for about 140 years, before closing in 1990. (Get this: its list of prisoners include Malcolm X.) Today, the space is transformed into the sleek and contemporary 298-room hotel, though its trademark brick walls still remain.

Photo: Liberty Hotel
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Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul (Istanbul, Turkey)
One thing is certain: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul is the dictionary definition of chic. Which is why you would've never guessed that this luxury hotel in the heart of Istanbul's old city was formerly the Sultanahmet Prison first built in the early 1900s - at least, until you pick up on the details. For one, the old wooden doors that lead to its lobby are from the original jail, while one of its marble pillars still bear the engravings detailing the names of former inmates. Its iconic enclosed garden area, which offers sweeping views of the Hagia Sophia, was also the former prison exercise yard.

Photo: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet (Facebook)
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Hotel Het Arresthuis (Roermond, The Netherlands)
The Hotel Het Arresthuis was formerly a 19th-century prison, which was restored and converted in 2011 by Dutch hotel group Van de Valk. The makeover saw the 105 cells unrecognisably transformed into 40 guest rooms, which all open to its spacious lounge area (pictured above) that, incidentally, was once the prison hallway. The hotel still retains the original prison door, however - a reminder of the building's slightly sombre history.

Photo: Het Arresthuis (Facebook)
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Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang (Luang Prabang, Laos)
This hotel, located near the centre of Luang Prabang, actually used to be town prison. Today, the hotel now features 23 spacious designer suits with private gardens and private pools. Traces of its history still remain: the prison's original watchtowers are still visible, for instance.

Photo: Hotel de la Paix

Make no mistake – these hotels certainly raise the bar.

We certainly love our heritage hotels; but what about hotels so steeped in history that – get this – they were actually once former jails?

Now, that’s where it gets interesting.

For instance, you would’ve never guessed that the absolutely sleek and trendy Liberty Hotel in Boston was anything other than the chic hotel it is today, at first glance. In fact, it actually once served as a prison for over 140 years, housing prominent inmates that include the likes of Malcolm X.

And then there’s the Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet in Istanbul. With its charming neoclassic Turkish designs, the hotel looks like something out of a vintage postcard – until closer inspection, that is.

Vestiges of its prison past still remain: like its imposing wooden lobby doors that was once the former prison entrance, and its scenic garden area that was previously the prison exercise yard. Keep your eyes peeled for the pillar that still bear the engraved names of former inmates.

If the idea of staying in a former prison intrigues you, here are 6 stunning luxury hotels in the world with a fascinating prison past.

Sarah Khan

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