When a prison is replaced or decommissioned for one reason or another, what do you do with the building? These are often very old and very solidly-built institutions, but hard to convert to offices on a government budget. So they are sold off to private interests. A surprising number of such buildings are converted into hotels, where the building’s history is used to promote the business. After all, who wouldn’t want to stay in a prison cell? Yeah, there have been extensive renovations, and many of these hotels are luxurious, despite the names. But there are a couple that cater to their history in their aesthetic, too. Pictured here is the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel in Ottowa, Ontario, which retains a lot of the flavor of being imprisoned.
The brick-walled cells have been freshened with a lick of paint and modern furnishings but still have metal bars and iron doors. There are now handles on the inside, though, so there’s no risk of being locked up for good. Regular guided tours typically take visitors around the building, rated as one of the most haunted in North America. With the gallows, where death row prisoners were hanged, soberingly on display, that reputation is perhaps unsurprising.
Whether it’s your particular kink or you’re just looking for some place different to stay during your travels, there’s a prison hotel for you. Learn about 16 hotels that were once jails or prisons in a list at Love Exploring. -via Fark
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Source: neatorama