Anyone with the slightest appreciation of irony would smirk knowing that many prisons around the world that were closed down because of overcrowding and human-rights abuses have reopened as posh hotels and kitschy hostels.
Although it does merit a good chuckle, the conversions totally make sense, if you think about it. Constructed as grand buildings intended to house lots of people, jails can easily be turned into hotels once the inmates leave and a construction crew makes a few necessary upgrades (Private bathrooms? Yes please!). It’s a wonderful way to preserve classic architecture in a city, and honestly, who doesn’t love a well-themed hotel bar. Meet you at Alibi—first round’s on us!
1. The Liberty Hotel, Boston
Photo source: Ben+Sam
Although The Liberty Hotel might have the coolest design of any hotel on our list, it certainly wasn’t always that way. Back when the Liberty Hotel was the Charles Street Jail, the place was so overcrowded and nasty-gnarly that the U.S. District Court ruled it was unconstitutional for even criminals to live there.
Constructed in 1851, the Charles Street Jail was designed by famed Boston architect Gridley James Fox Bryant, who created a massive granite structure with an octagonal rotunda, a ninety-foot-tall atrium, and thirty arched windows that measured thirty-three feet high. A mix between a Gothic cathedral and a fortress, the Charles Street Jail was once home to Malcolm X, Sacco and Vanzetti, and Boston mayor James Michael Curley.
After failing inspections, the Charles Street Jail was closed to inmates in 1990; renovations soon began to turn it from an all-around dump into one of the swankiest hotels in Boston. The Liberty Hotel maintained the grand exterior and rotunda while totally refurbishing the jail cells into rooms considerably bigger than the original seven-by-ten-foot floor plan.
Interested in rubbing shoulders with the in crowd without paying the big bucks to spend the night? Grab an appetizer at the Liberty Hotel’s restaurant, Clink (teehee), or grab a drink at their bar, Alibi (haha), which has an impressive array of celebrity mug shots. Oh, Liberty Hotel, you’re so clever.
2. Jail Backpackers, Mount Gambier, Australia
Photo source:avlxyz
Some former jails go through massive renovations led by world-renowned architects and top-notch designers. Others kick the prisoners out and open their doors to patrons the next day. The Jail Backpackers (website under construction) falls into the second category. Don’t expect witty jailhouse names or tongue-in-cheek references here … don’t even expect a private bathroom. The cells haven’t changed much since the prisoners left—except now the doors lock from the inside and the former chapel is used as a common room. The hostel is owned by Gary and Patricia Adams, who seem to be an “if it ’aint broke, don’t fix it” kind of couple.
If you’re dying to see more, take the $3.30 grand tour of the property, in which a tour guide takes patrons around to the solitary confinement cells, a mural painted by the inmates, the old kitchen, and much more.
3. Karosta Prison, Liepaja, Latvia
Photo source:Liepaja Turisms
There are prison hotels, and there are Prison Hotels. Karosta Prison is the latter. Although it’s no longer in government use, guests pay money to stay in this former prison that treats patrons like they are, well, in prison. Yep. People pay for the chance to experience the joys of being abused as if they had been incarcerated in a Latvian KGB prison circa 1986.
Whether you think Karosta Prison is the cutting edge of reality tourism or can’t really understand the draw of being barked at in Latvian with a Stalin poster hanging in the background, one thing’s for sure … Karosta is NOT playing around. After check-in with a large, surly guard, “prisoners” are stripped of all their luggage (save a toothbrush), berated with rules, and then forced to squat, hands behind their head, in a dark, musty corridor. After more verbal abuse and a medical exam, patrons are photographed and given a “prison passport.” Screw up any part of this initial process and you’ll find yourself in solitary confinement for a whole five minutes.
After the warm welcome, guests are then fed a delicious meal of stale rye bread, a pickle, and sweet Russian tea before they are forced to haul a heavy pallet into a communal cell and make their bed according to army codes. Then it’s four minutes of free time, usually involving a trip to the three dirty holes in the ground used as a toilet and using a dripping faucet for toothbrushing. After that, lights out and enforced silence, unless of course the staff decides to wake their guests up for a little manual labor. At 7:30 the next morning, guests are promptly kicked out, without breakfast. Sounds fun!!
Although it’s hard to believe, the prison has garnered a small cult following from Latvian bachelor parties and corporate “team-building.” At least they only charge £7 (US $10) a night, making it a pretty good deal as far as youth hostels go. If you only want to endure a few hours of this torture, Karosta offers two-hour “experiences” in addition to their “extreme package,” which involves the overnight stay.
