Dezeen Magazine

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

Het Arresthuis hotel in a former prison by Van der Valk hotels

A nineteenth century prison in the Netherlands has been converted into a boutique hotel where guests sleep in the former cells.

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

The Het Arresthuis jail in Roermond, which dates back to 1863, was in use for nearly 150 years before finally closing its doors in 2007. After a makeover from Dutch hotel group Van der Valk, a total of 105 prisoner cells are transformed into 40 rooms and suites that open out to a lounge in the old prison hallway.

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

The overhauled rooms have been filled with modern furnishings, yet each one retains its original door as to a nod to the history of the building. There are four luxury suites included, named The Jailer, The Lawyer, The Director and The Judge.

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

The courtyard now serves as a cafe and terrace surrounded by olive trees. Other facilities include a herb garden, a sauna and a number of hotel bars.

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

The Het Arresthuis hotel opened in spring 2011, but is not the first prison to be converted into a guesthouse. Others include the Malmaison Hotel in Oxford, England, and the Jailhotel Lowengraben in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel

Other prison conversions include a music school in France and a civic and cultural centre in Spain. Dezeen readers also think many new architecture projects look like prisons, from a windowless house in Japan to a student housing complex in Spain.

See more hotel interiors on Dezeen, including the Sleepbox Hotel in Moscow filled with portable sleeping capsules and a hotel room covered in QR codes that link to pornography.