Have you ever dreamed of being woken up by a panda?
While giant pandas often steal the spotlight in viral videos and are among the world’s most beloved bears, a hotel in Chongqing, China chose the smaller, fluffier version of the star for its wake-up service: the red panda.
However, this unusual practice of using live red pandas to wake guests has now been banned by local forestry authorities over animal welfare concerns. The animals were brought directly into guests’ rooms to gently rouse them from sleep – a practice that quickly sparked ethical questions.
@otwd_travel Panda sleepover!!! 🐼 – When I first herd about this I wasn’t sure about it, but when I saw they let them wonder into our room by giving them apple I was so happy. We even had to make sure the temperature in the room was ok for them. The best experience of our life! 📍Chongqing, Yongchuan district #panda #chinaa #travel #hotel #chongqing #yongchuan #fyp #otwd #cute ♬ original sound – Travel couple Reanne & Ben
The viral panda wake-up call
This quirky service was offered at the Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel, a family resort known for its ‘red panda-themed holidays’. Unlike their larger black-and-white cousins, red pandas are small and fluffy, and are actually more closely related to raccoons.
The hotel’s concept involved staff delivering red pandas to the rooms of guests who had requested a wake-up call. The animals would roam freely around the room, climb onto beds and snack on treats such as apples, sometimes even eating from the guests’ hands.
This unique service quickly gained popularity on social media, particularly after British couple Reanne and Ben posted a video on their YouTube channel last April. The video showed a red panda being led into their room, being given snacks and hopping onto their bed for what appeared to be an adorable breakfast-in-bed moment.
@otwd_travel Who else wants to stay at this hotel? #travel #hotel #panda #china #chongqing #pandahotel #fyp #otwd #yongchuan ♬ original sound – Travel couple Reanne & Ben
Animal rights concerns triggered the ban
The hotel reportedly kept four red pandas, who took turns performing this wake-up duty. According to the Daily Mail, the animals were borrowed from a nearby zoo.
While guests found the experience adorable, the practice sparked criticism after being reported in a Chinese magazine and discussed widely online. Animal rights advocates and the local forestry bureau raised concerns about the well-being of the pandas, who are a nationally protected species in China.
Sun Quanhui, a scientist with the World Animal Protection (WAP) organisation, told the Global Times that red pandas are highly sensitive animals and that forced interactions with guests could trigger stress responses. Other concerns included the risk of injury and disease transmission.
The hotel has dismissed the critiques, assuring that all animals had been duly vaccinated and were well cared for, emphasising that children were never left alone with the pandas.
Authorities step in to protect red pandas
The forestry bureau issued a formal order demanding the immediate suspension of all close-contact activities involving red pandas, warning that non-compliance would result in fines.
Red pandas are listed as an endangered species. Currently, fewer than 10,000 remain in the wild. While China banned close-contact tourism with giant panda cubs in 2018, it appears the hotel may have exploited a loophole by exploiting the fact that red pandas are more closely related to raccoons than to giant pandas.
