The World’s Worst Hotel?

 

Just like at the top end of the market, the bottom end is also crowded with many hotels, but one hotel that stands out more than any other would have to be Latvia Karosta Prison Hotel. Originally constructed in 1906 as military hospital at the base of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, the dilapidated building actually spent most of the last century as a Nazi and Soviet Prison. Many Latvian deserters where sent to the camp for solitary confinement and/or eventual death.

 

Today, despite years of being obsolete, the prison has reopened (and rebranded?) as a boutique hotel where courageous tourists can enrol for an authentic jail experience. On arrival visitors can either ask for a quick tour or the full Karosta experience – including a prisoner garb, interrogation, harassment and being locked into a cold dank dark prison cell for a night. That’s not all, either, prisoners are warned before that any disobedience could result in insults, or physical punishment in the way of forced exercise or cleaning. The guard’s regularly patrol the corridors during the night, clanking on the wrought iron cell doors and looking for any signs of mischief – adding to the thrill.