Surely, it’s a tourist’s worst nightmare. A holiday to the pristine beaches of southeast Asia turns ugly after a boozy night, and you wake up bleary-eyed in a dingy prison.

Not according to one hotelier, who believes there is a market for Thailand’s prison experience.

Sittichai Chaivoraprug, 55, built a hostel on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok that has nine tiny, dark rooms and cement walls with bunk beds for those seeking an authentic night in jail.

The sliding doors at Sook Station are made with thick bars, although two rooms have a solitary confinement-style metal door with peep holes. A minuscule barred-window looks out to the street. Only the air-conditioning and wifi break the illusion. “If we can make this experience here, then people don’t have to be charged with a crime to experience prison life,” says Sittichai, who set up the hostel six months ago with his wife.

Guests can buy striped pyjamas on check-in and pose at a wall with a height chart where they can have their mugshots taken. Saying his biggest inspiration was the 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, Sittichai was warned by friends that the hostel could be a flop.

Several customers have been horrified by what many visitors say is a genuine imitation of detention.

“Some guests have come based on recommendations from their friends. But once they checked in to the hostel, they immediately asked to check out,” says Sittichai.

The hostel belies the true nature of detention in Thailand, where many facilities have a small hole in the floor for excrement and inmates sleep on the floor in overcrowded cells. One jail in the capital, dubbed the Bangkok Hilton, is famed for violence among inmates.

Yet at Sook Station, business has been steady, Sittichai says, mostly from word of mouth. About half the guests, who pay between 790 to 1,630 baht a night (£18 to £38), are foreigners.

“When I built the hostel, I knew people would either love it or hate it.”

If you would like to have an experience behind bars, The House of Phraya Jasaen could be your second choice in Bangkok. Pushing the limits of comfort and design, 3-star hotel The House of Phraya Jasaen steps up with its beautiful mix of modern décor and Thai fancy style.

Each room in The House of Phraya Jasaen boasts a distinctive design and layout. Take for example the prison-themed room complete with ashes-coloured concrete walls, a single bed and jet-black bars.

Sleek and stylish bedrooms are also available for guests staying with their families, while dormitory style accommodations await those who prefer a less expensive choice.

This Bangkok hotel can also cater to your vanity and relaxation needs. It has a massage parlour with vintage style barbershop chairs and massage beds where a huge fabric elephant hangs from above.

Source: The Guardian , Travel141