It Turns Out A Lot Of People Want To Stay At Dorchester Jail That’s Now An Airbnb
DORCHESTER – Bill Steele has seen an influx of inmates at his jail-turned-Airbnb in Dorchester, thanks to a visit from Love for Local New Brunswick ambassadors Jason Gallant and Mylène Theriault.
The former Torontonian owner of the Dorchester Jail BnB told Huddle foot traffic to the Dorchester Jail jumped by 50 percent after it blew up on Tik-Tok when it was profiled in a promotional provincial tour this past summer when Gallant and Theriault stayed the night.
“We noticed a huge upswing. We were kind of going up the hill with the recovery from Covid-19, when they came by, got on there and went viral. We had a lot of interest in tours, and a lot of people come by,” Steele said from “death row” of the Dorchester Jail.
The Love For Local – New Brunswick Electric Summer Social Tour saw a bilingual duo visit 104 communities across New Brunswick, recognizing and promoting local business and attractions over the course of the summer. Huddle was a media partner and did a four-part series of podcasts on the tour.
A former provincial jail built in the late 19th century, the Dorchester Jail was the site of New Brunswick’s last double hanging in 1936. Steele bought the jail in 2017.
“When I heard they were doing the tour, I said, ‘Come on out to Dorchester,’ and yeah, they made it out – it was great,” said Steele.
When it was profiled on Tik-Tok and other social media during the tour, Steele said the Dorchester Jail’s popularity blew up.
“We asked everyone how they heard about us, and we noticed we got as many views as anyone else in the 104 communities,” he said.
“You can see it in comments too. They’ve either been here and their feedback speaks for itself, or they’re seeing a lot of people enjoying themselves and want to go. It went viral.”
Podcast: No Tour Of New Brunswick Is Complete Without A Night In Jail
The jail, just down the street from the still-functioning federal Dorchester Penitentiary, Westmorland Institution and Shepody Healing Centre, is equipped with luxury amenities – and boasts a roster of past guests that includes late-night ghost hunters, artists and several musicians about whom Steele is bound by non-disclosure agreements not to talk about.
The Dorchester Jail sees about 3,000 guests come through its doors per year – a number Steele is confident will climb on account of the jail’s fame on social media.
“It attracts curious people and unusual people – incredible guests.”
Steele rents out six former jail cells and a VIP room by the cell or cell block to guests through Airbnb at rates starting at $116 a night. He also hosts tours of the jail and is contemplating renting it out to film TV shows.
“I haven’t had to spend five cents on advertising. I don’t think we could handle any more traffic than what we’ve already got, to be honest,” he said.
Image: Bill Steele
Carpe Diem
Steele, who’d lived and worked in Toronto until March 2017, said living in and renting out a jailhouse was a plan he originally deferred until the death of his son and his divorce.
He told Huddle he went on Kijiji, searching for terms like “weird house,” “underground house,” “big old church,” and “old motel,” when he found the former Dorchester Jail for sale.
“I decided I would buy it and keep it for my retirement and move there in four or five years.”
That plan was expedited on March 1, 2017, when Steels’s son’s heart transplant failed.
“I quit my job on March 2, sold everything and went through with the jail,” he said.
“I said, ‘Screw it, I’m done with the rat race in Toronto. I’m going to have fun and enjoy the rest of my life, so I packed up and moved.”
Steele never heard of Dorchester before he found the old jail and spent the first couple of years “with just my nose above the water,” converting the old cells by taking the locks off, furnishing them, updating the plumbing and jumping through regulatory hoops to get the place up to code – a process that saw the lodging shut down temporarily in 2019.
“I’m just here for fun. This year’s been incredible.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
November 3, 2021 @ 12:41 pm
Hi, I read these articles regularly and it wasn’t until just this morning I thought maybe I should leave a comment here! I work downtown Moncton and manage an old heritage building that we are currently trying to rent office space but having some serious issues with our ongoing homelessness problem and it is only getting worse. Not only every time we turn around there is just another new tenant occupying some space here and quite honestly it has gotten to the point where we all feel defeated by the lack of attention this issue is getting. Our local MLA’s, RCMP Community bylaw officers hear us but honestly they don’t do anything to help. They listen for the most part but action as we know speaks much louder and action we have not had. I personally feel that it will take someone getting hurt before this situation is taken serious. We all know we have a homeless issue but let’s talk about how we all feel the impact in many ways! It is hurting us financially, emotionally and the list goes on. Some of our homeless peeps are fine and harmless but there are more around here that we all fear on a day to day basis. Here is some food for thought, a couple can shoot heroin in their necks and toes right in front of CCNB and a daycare and the police say they cannot do anything about it however if I buy a bottle of bear spray to keep to protect myself from the likes of these unpredictable idiots I would most likely be charged or at the very least warned. If you want a story that will spark most residents in Moncton come talk to us and let’s light this fire under the butts because it will only be addressed once the community starts to fight back. I may be right off track here but I felt since the comment button was there why not start the conversation.
Thanks for taking the time to read my frustrated comments. If at any point you want to get more information please call me at 506-227-8814