kabarsula Doing time in style: inside Japan’s new prison-turned-palace – and 19 more jails you can actually book bandar SLOT INDONESIA

When Hoshino Resorts opened HOSHINOYA Nara Prison in June this year, it didn’t just add another address to its ultra-luxury portfolio – it transformed the last of the “Five Great Prisons” of Japan’s 118-year-old Meiji era cellblocks into luxury hotel suites.

The Former Nara Prison, in Nara City, is a government-designated Important Cultural Property, and Hoshino Resorts has approached its redesign as an exercise in cultural regeneration rather than demolition and rebuild. The prison’s high redbrick walls remain; what sits inside them has been reimagined entirely, with cells becoming suites, the central guardhouse becoming a lounge, the old infirmary becoming a museum gallery, and the former exercise yards turned into spaces for quiet reflection. Guests check in at what was once the prison’s intake desk, passing through the same gates new inmates once faced.

Cells into suites

The hotel’s 48 all-suite rooms are formed from combinations of nine, 10 or 11 former cells knocked together, up to the 11-cell Deluxe Suite with its own dressing lounge and expansive living area. Original brickwork – laid by the prison’s first inmates – has been exposed beneath century-old plaster, and period ceiling mouldings have been retained throughout. Amenities lean into the reflective mood of the setting: curated books, relaxation-focused music, custom fragrances, and a selection of local sake and wine.

The former assembly room, once used for prison ceremonies and lectures, is now the hotel’s central lounge – an atrium framing views down the five cellblock wings that radiate from it. And in a separate building that once held solitary confinement cells, guests now dine on a four-course tasting menu called the “Gastronomy Chronicle”, tracing Japan’s Meiji Restoration through courses titled Early Development, Maturity, Modern Day and Future. Breakfast includes a signature Civilisational Modernisation Breakfast (¥6,380, $AU56) built around Western dishes introduced to Japan during the period, alongside Japanese, Western and light continental options.

Cultural programming includes a complimentary Akane Tea Salon, an adults-only Gramophone Soiree, an Evening Fragrance Blending workshop (¥12,100, AU$105) and a Meiji-inspired morning fitness session using dumbbells carved from local Yoshino cedar.

Three sections of the former prison have been set aside as the Nara Prison Museum, which opened in April this year ahead of the hotel. One of the original five cellblock wings has been left unrenovated to show the conditions of the prison’s original occupants; another building explores five tenets of Meiji-era criminal rehabilitation – discipline, meals, hygiene, labour and freedom; and the former infirmary now hosts artwork by former inmates on themes of crime, punishment and time. General admission is ¥3,500 (around AU$30), and it’s complimentary for hotel guests.

Rooms start from ¥147,000 a night (roughly AU$1,300, depending on exchange rates), excluding meals.

20 more hotels doing time

HOSHINOYA Nara Prison is the latest and most spectacular entry in a growing global niche: hotels built inside former prisons and gaols, ranging from bare-bones hostels that lean into the original cells to five-star conversions where the prison is little more than a backstory. Here are 20 more worth knowing about.

Australia

The Interlude at Pentridge, Melbourne – Four or five original cells from Pentridge’s former B Division were combined to create each of the 19 suites, with substantial original stonework retained and an underground pool added. It recently appointed Michelin-trained executive chef Tom Hoy, bringing more than 20 years of international culinary expertise to the $1 billion lifestyle precinct.

Executive Chef Tom Hoy will oversee the culinary experience across multiple venues in B Division in the Destination Pentridge precinct. Download images here.

Overseeing the end-to-end food and beverage experience across Pentridge’s B Division event spaces, Hoy will play a pivotal role in delivering premium, scalable, and highly tailored dining across conferences, corporate events, weddings, and incentive programs.

Trained in some of London’s most acclaimed Michelin-starred kitchens (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Pied à Terre and L’Autre Pied), Hoy has built a career balancing refined technique with high-volume execution. His experience spans leading hospitality groups such as Caprice Holdings, before relocating to Melbourne where he helmed venues including East Elevation, Il Melograno and Lux Foundry.

At Destination Pentridge, Hoy’s remit spans a complex multi-venue environment anchored within the heritage bluestone walls of the former Pentridge Prison. His leadership will ensure consistency, creativity and operational excellence across a diverse event and hospitality ecosystem.

This includes Chapter Place, the precinct’s dedicated wedding, conference, and large-scale event venue; The Mess Hall, an 80-seat restaurant with additional 60-seat alfresco courtyard, reimagined as a flexible function and activation space; Olivine wine bar, offering elevated, share-style dining paired with a 500-label wine list for networking, VIP hosting, and private events;
In-room dining across Adina Pentridge Melbourne (106 rooms) and The Interlude (19 room boutique offering), supporting residential conferences and multi-day delegate stays.

With capacity for more than 650 guests across the precinct, Pentridge’s B-Division offering is uniquely positioned to host concurrent events, large-format conferences, and bespoke private functions within one integrated destination.

Fremantle Prison YHA, Western Australia – The former Women’s Division of Fremantle Prison, which operated until 1991, is now a hostel with bookable historic cell rooms.

Old Mount Gambier Gaol, South Australia – Accommodation inside the former 1886 gaol, with the original prison environment central to the experience.

One to watch: Berrima Gaol in NSW has been proposed as a 55-room luxury hotel precinct, though it is still going through NSW planning assessment and is not yet operating.

United Kingdom

Bodmin Jail Hotel, Cornwall – An 18th-century prison turned boutique hotel that leans into its prison story as part of the guest experience.

Malmaison Oxford – 95 rooms and suites within Oxford Castle, which was later used as a prison.

Nordics

Hotel Katajanokka, Helsinki – A 19th-century county prison and pre-trial detention centre with modernised rooms behind its original red-brick facade.

Långholmen Hotel, Stockholm – Housed in Stockholm’s former Crown Prison, with renovated cells still serving as hotel rooms and an on-site prison museum.

Hotel 1861, Umeå – An 1861 prison, previously known as Hotell Gamla Fängelset and renamed Hotel 1861 in 2025; some guests can stay in original cells, with a small museum in Cell 6.

Visby Fängelse, Gotland – A former prison converted into basic hostel accommodation.

Continental Europe

Het Arresthuis, Roermond, Netherlands – A 105-cell prison converted into 40 rooms and suites, including dedicated “Cell” rooms.

Barabas Hotel, Lucerne, Switzerland – Around 60 former cells, some retaining bars and original layout; current rates run roughly US$128-200 a night (about AU$195-305), depending on dates.

Hotel Liberty, Offenburg, Germany – A stylish 38-room conversion of a prison that operated from the 1840s until 2009.

ALCATRAZ Hotel am Japanischen Garten, Kaiserslautern, Germany – Retains a deliberate prison aesthetic, with cell-style rooms, barred windows and period-style beds and washbasins alongside conventional rooms.

Knast-Hotel Fronfeste, Amberg, Germany – Rooms built around former cells, retaining steel, wood and other prison-era features.

Hôtel La Prison, Béziers, France – A 50-room conversion, including rooms designated “Cell”, with rates around US$84-114 a night (about AU$128-174).

Hostel Celica, Ljubljana, Slovenia – A former military prison where 20 original cells have been turned into individually designed artistic rooms, with original bars retained.

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey – Built as Sultanahmet Jail in 1918 and once used to hold political dissidents, writers and journalists, now a five-star hotel that retains much of its original exterior.

Americas

The Liberty Hotel, Boston, US – The former Charles Street Jail, built in 1851, now a luxury hotel that keeps its granite rotunda and much of its original architecture.

Ottawa Jail Hostel, Canada – The former Carleton County Gaol, converted to a hostel while retaining much of its original structure, including the former death-row area.