There's a bear in there: a hotel with a difference

A hotel that bills itself as the world’s first “Polar Bear Hotel” has opened in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province, drawing both guests and criticism for its central feature: live polar bears.

The Polar Bear Hotel, part of the Harbin Polarland theme park in Heilongjiang’s capital and largest city, Harbin, opened its doors on Friday with the promise of polar bear viewing from all 21 guest rooms.

“Whether you’re eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will keep you company,” Harbin Polarland’s official WeChat account said in a post dated Thursday.

Photos and videos from state media showed crowds of guests watching two polar bears — a threatened species — under harsh warm lights, in an indoor enclosure consisting of fake rocks and icicles, and a white painted floor.

Yang Liu, a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland, said the indoor area is only part of the bears’ total enclosure, and that they are let outdoors when temperature and air quality permit.

She said interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms range from 1,888 (US$290.10) to 2,288 yuan per night was “very high,” adding that it is fully booked through a trial period.

Animal rights organizations reacted with outrage, urging customers to stay away from establishments profiting “from animals’ misery.”

“Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums — and certainly not in hotels,” Jason Baker, senior vice president at animal rights group PETA said. “Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature, roaming home ranges that can span thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life.”

“A panoramic prison for polar bears ... haven’t we learned anything about animal cruelty?” one commentator said.

Harbin is famous for its ice-carving festival, and the hotel resembles a giant igloo, with its roof topped by artificial ice. But some Chinese social media users expressed unease at the theme being taken to this extreme.

Harbin Polarland, established in late 2005, calls itself the world’s first polar performing arts amusement park.

In 2016, a shopping mall in the southern city of Guangzhou attracted global condemnation after videos emerged of a polar bear, Pizza, lying on her side in a glass-walled enclosure.