![Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_4sqb.jpg)
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 Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_2sqa.jpg)
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 Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_6.jpg)
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 Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_5.jpg)
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 Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_7a.jpg)
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 Het Arresthuis prison now a hotel](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/02/dezeen_Het-Arresthuis-prison-now-a-hotel_1.jpg)
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.