Original Hotels

The Malmaison Hotel is located in Oxford, England, in the United Kingdom. Today this old city prison has been remodelled and converted into a large hotel which still conserves its past décor.

Originally this building was an ancient Victorian prison, and even now guests can appreciate the heavy metal doors, iron staircases and forged steel cells. Inside, the hotel could not be more different, with a plush modern décor and rooms with flat screen television sets, climate control and light control. There is Internet throughout the hotel.

The hotel has 95 double rooms, and each room is located in one of the ancient cells. Each room has a private bathroom, a double bed, and heavy metal doors which serve as a reminder of what the building used to be. The cells are painted in dark colours and have red velvet curtains that match the furniture.

The hotel has several suites. One of the old jail’s wings houses several large suites, while what used to be the jailer’s room now has spacious rooms with poster beds and a small cinema.

Each one of the cells holds a selection of wines and snacks, and a large bathroom with a modern shower. There is room service during all day and guests will be able to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner directly in their rooms.

Price starts from 200€ per night in a double room, and is higher for suites. An extra bed costs 34€ per night, and the cribs are free of charge.

The Liberty Hotel is located in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. This jail was built in 1851 and because of terrible conditions it had to close its doors nearly 140 years later.

More than a decade ago and after a major makeover, the building was transformed into a hotel. The old jail, where Malcolm X and Frank Abagnale Jr. were imprisoned, still has the original brick façade. The interior patio has remained mainly unchanged.

A large tower was built after the jail closed its doors, and most of the hotel’s rooms and suites can be found there. All rooms are double rooms with a private bathroom, and are decorated in pale pink and grey with mahogany furniture. The windows fill a whole wall and many rooms have views towards either the river Charles or the city itself.

The suites are even larger and have a kingsize bed and a bathroom, another guest bathroom and separate living and dining areas. There are several types of suites, and none remind guests that the building used to be a prison, since they all have a private pantry, a giant closet and a library. Other suites have a private open air terrace.

The hotel has five bars and restaurants whose decoration reminds one of the building’s original use. One of the bars is an open air bar which opens during the summer months, located where the interior patio once was. Some of the old cells have been transformed into conference halls and meeting rooms, and a large portion of one floor is now a ballroom where events can take place.

The Lowengraben Hotel is located in Lucerne, in Switzerland. The building was built as a city prison in 1862, but from 1998 onwards it has been converted into an hotel.

The rooms are located inside the old cells. Each cell is now a double room with a bathroom, although the windows still have bars on them. The hotel has several themed suites located in what used to be the old recreation room, the jailer’s office, the visiting room and the library. Price varies between 95 and 187€ per night.

The Langholmen hotel is located in Stockholm, in Sweden. Known as the Prison of the Crown, the prison closed its doors in 1975 and years later was remodelled into a hotel.

The rooms can either be individual or double rooms with a bathroom, and despite their modern design they still have the same doors they had when the hotel was still a prison, although each one has their own key. The windows no longer have bars and the decoration is apt for the most exquisite of guests. Price starts from 172€ per night for an individual room and 215€ per night for a double room.

The hotel has its own museum, called From Crime to Chains. The museum has several galleries dedicated to the nearly 150 years of this prison’s existence.

The hotel has a restaurant, the Finkan, known for its traditional cuisine and its Sunday brunches. The hotel has a small café which serves snacks and a shop. Guests will be able to use the hotel’s parking.

There are many historical landmarks near this centric hotel, such as a beach near Langholm bridge where locals and visitors soak up the sun rays during the summer months. On the other side of the bridge guests will find many shops, restaurants, cinemas and art galleries.