STORY:
It's not a building that seems to promise guests luxury or the most comfortable night's sleep. And that's because the "Alcatraz Hotel" used to be a prison.

Two lawyers bought the former jail in the western German city of Kaiserslautern. From the cell-like bedrooms, to the hotel bar behind bars, "Alcatraz's" owners say they've kept the original spirit of the building.

[Andreas Kisch, Co-owner of Alcatraz Hotel]:
"We're an adventure hotel with a special ambience. We've preserved a lot of the prison's character."

Just like in prison, the hotel bathrooms aren't separate from the bedrooms. So what kind of people want to pay around 50 euros, or just over 70 U.S dollars, to sleep next to a toilet bowl?

[Andreas Kisch, Co-owner of Alcatraz Hotel]:
"Firstly our target group is your typical hotel guest looking for the classic modern room. But then we also have guests who want to spend a night in a cell and who want to get a feeling for life in prison. If they want, those people can get striped pajamas, complete with their name embroidered on them."

Although there are bars on the windows, once visitors tire of living a jailbird's life, they can leave the "Alcatraz Hotel" whenever they
like.