Design + Architecture

Hotels With A Past

by Cathay Che

Few of us will ever sleep in a drug kingpin's mansion. Even fewer dream of shacking up in a nun's cell. And if you've ever spent a night in jail, you might want to keep it to yourself. But what if that jail—or nunnery, or crime den—has been converted into a luxury hotel? Now you're talking. We've found a number of fine lodgings that were built decades or centuries ago with very different purposes in mind. For instance, the Malmaison Oxford, pictured, was a medieval jail. So check in, soak in the historical ambience, and imagine who else may have shared your room (and what nightmares or dreams they may have had). And consider yourself lucky that you hold the key.

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Information may have changed since date of publication. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip.
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