‘Don’t worry, the doors lock from the inside’ – check into a hotel in a former jail

Hatch an escape plan for a stay at The Liberty, a luxury hotel set in a former prison in Boston

A luxury hotel in a former jail - see inside The Liberty in Boston

Pól Ó Conghaile

Before The Liberty opened to guests in Boston, Buddhist monks were brought in to cleanse it of bad spirits. That wasn’t a regulatory requirement or wellness fad. It’s because the hotel is set in the former Charles Street Jail.

Staying in a slammer, surrounded by brickwork and balconies, with a cocktail bar in a former drunk tank and over a dozen ‘jail rooms’ is a novelty, to say the least, and won’t be to everyone’s taste. But form and function are well thought-through, the lobby has a surprising party mode, and vibes are chill rather than chilling.