Plan an escape to Alcatraz

For decades, it was the island every resident dreamed of escaping from.

Now the managers of Alcatraz Island, home to one of the world's most notorious prisons, are hoping to cash in on tourists' enduring fascination with it.

The National Park Service in the the United States, which operates The Rock, is planning to convert part of the prison into a hotel, so eager visitors can enjoy a fuller experience of the island.

Overnight guests will not, however, sleep in the cell blocks which once housed notorious criminals such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun'' Kelly or “Birdman of Alcatraz'' Robert Stroud.

Popular attraction

Instead, the hotel will probably be based in another part of the infamous penitentiary, Building 64, which housed the guards and boasts impressive views across the San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz Island is one of San Francisco's most popular draws, attracting more than 1.4 million tourists to its cellblock tours.

But the National Park Service is keen to let visitors explore the rest of the 12-acre island — which includes both its unusual scenery and wildlife and areas such as the prison cinema, which is closed to the public at present.

“People are constantly saying they want to see more of the island,'' said Rich Weideman, a National Park Service official.

Alcatraz, which became a military prison in 1861 at the start of the Civil War, was a federal prison from 1933 to 1963.

Hollywood favourite

Officials claimed escape was impossible because of the strong tides and cold temperatures of the waters and that there were no successful breakouts.

Alcatraz has featured in films such as 1979's Escape From Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood, and 1996's The Rock, with Sean Connery.