Ex-prison welcomes 50,000th guest

AS the 50,000th guest checked into Oxford's Malmaison Hotel, there is no escaping the fact that the city's former prison is going down well with visitors.

It is more than a year now since the Malmaison, built inside the city's Victorian prison, opened for business.

Occupancy is running at 80 per cent.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and Hollywood star Robert Redford have been among guests to stay at the hotel, which is hoping to obtain a licence to conduct wedding services.

Thirty-eight of the 94 rooms are former cells and are by far the most requested rooms.

Mike Warren, the hotel's general manager, said: "We've had some guests who, when they have seen them, felt a little upset.

"But they are far outweighed by the majority who insist on having one of these rooms."

• The £40m Oxford Castle complex, developed by the Osborne group, has been shortlisted in an international real estate competition in Cannes.

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