View source for Chinese apos;polar Bear Hotel apos; Opens To Full Bookings Criticism

<br>By Andrew Galbraith<br> <br>SHANGHAI, March 13 (Reuters) - A hotel that bills itself as the world's first "polar bear hotel" has opened in China's far northeastern Heilongjiang province, drawing both guests and criticism for its central feature:  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-trung-quoc-quang-chau-tham-quyen-bang-tuong-5-ngay.html tour quảng châu] live polar bears.<br> <br>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 round-the-clock polar bear viewing from all 21 guest rooms.<br> <br>"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.<br> <br>Photos and videos from Chinese state media showed people watching two polar bears in an indoor enclosure featuring artificial ice and small pools of water.<br> <br>Yang Liu, a spokeswoman for  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-trung-quoc-quang-chau-tham-quyen-bang-tuong-5-ngay.html kynghidongduong.vn] Harbin Polarland, told Reuters that the indoor area is only part of the bears' total enclosure, and that they are let outdoors when temperature and air quality permit.<br> <br>She said interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms range from 1,888 to 2,288 yuan ($290.10 to $351.56) per night was "very high", adding that it is fully booked through a trial period.<br> <br>Conservationists criticised the hotel.<br> <br>"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 told [http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/?q=Reuters Reuters] on Saturday.<br><br>"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."<br> <br>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.<br> <br>Harbin Polarland, established in late 2005,  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-trung-quoc-quang-chau-tham-quyen-bang-tuong-5-ngay.html tour quảng châu] calls itself the [http://www.europeana.eu/portal/search.html?query=world%27s world's] first polar performing arts amusement park.<br> <br>($1 = 6.5081 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Andrew Galbraith; Additional reporting by Martin Pollard in Beijing.<br><br>Editing by Gerry Doyle)<br>