For one of the youngest members of the Moscow Circus, the accomodations in Worcester are, um, bearable.

Kessia, a 20-month-old bear cub from Soviet Georgia, checked in at the Worcester Marriott Hotel on Cristmas Eve along with her trainer, Anatoly Kolodenko, and his wife, Ludmilla. Kessia works primarily as one an "advance bear," promoting the circus.

The circus opens tonight at the Centrum and runs through Sunday.

The 75-pound silvery-brown bear is the first circus animal to be a guest at the Marriott, although people from the Moscow Circus have stayed there before, said Nancy F. Farmer, director of group sales for the hotel.

"The trainer needs a place to stay, and the bear comes with the trainer," Ms.Farmer said. "We haven't had any requests to do anything special for it, other than the room being secured." Housekeeping for the Kolodenkos'room is sheduled for times when the bear is out of the hotel.