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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.