15 hotels that used to be prisons

While the idea of turning prisons into hotels may have seemed strange at first, countries all over the world now offer accommodations that once stood as correctional facilities.

Some have been completely transformed, but if you take a closer look, you can still see remnants of their fascinating and frightening pasts. 

Others, however, have chosen to leave a large part of their buildings in original conditions.

From Boston's chic Liberty Hotel to the spooky iron-clad corridors of the Jailhotel in Switzerland, here are 15 hotels with a haunting past. 

Alcatraz Hotel: Kaiserslautern, Germany

67657 Kaiserslautern, Morlauterer Str. 1

The Alcatraz hotel in Germany was a prison from 1867 to 2002, when it was refurbished to include 56 rooms for guests.

You have the option of sleeping in the newly-renovated rooms or in one of their “cell rooms,” where you’ll find three levels of original cells from the prison including barred windows, shared toilets, and even what they consider to be a traditional prison breakfast of pumpernickel bread and jam. 

Best Western Premier Hotel Katajanokka: Helsinki, Finland

Merikasarminkatu 1, 00160 Helsinki, Finland

Hotel Katajanokka was a former county prison where prisoners would await trial. It is said to have hosted Risto Ryti, Finland's fifth president.

Today, the Best Western hotel still houses its original brick walls and includes the Restaurant Jailbird, where you can see original inscriptions from inmates along the walls. The rooms, designed with a minimalistic style, were made by combining two to three of the former cells and offer luxurious amenities like saunas in the larger suites. 

Four Seasons Sultanahmet: Istanbul, Turkey

Tevkifhane Sokak No. 1, 34122 Sultanahmet-Eminönü, Istanbul

You’ll barely be able to tell that the Four Seasons in Sultanahmet used to be a jail in 1918, until you take a closer look at its details.

The old wooden doors that lead to the lobby are from the original jail and engravings from an inmate in 1938 detailing the names of former inmates can be found on a marble pillar inside.

Other than that, the hotel offers a luxurious stay, converting the former exercise courtyard into a beautiful outdoor dining area and the watchtowers into elevator shafts. Plus, it’s close to some of the area’s best sightseeing stops like the Hagia Sophia Museum and the Topkapi Palace.