I stayed in the world’s largest hotel. It has 7,351 rooms and a lot going on.
The world’s largest hotel has over 7,000 rooms, and it’s hard to wrap your head around it until you see it in person.
Malaysia’s First World Hotel in Genting Highlands holds the Guinness World Record for the largest hotel with 7,351 rooms, and has held that spot since reclaiming the title in 2015. Located about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur, it is built right into Resorts World Genting, with direct access to shopping, domestic-only theme parks and the casino area.
I visited back in August 2016 while living my year long dream life in Southeast Asia and this place was insane. It’s in the lush green mountains, so at first you feel completely away from the massive city of KL. We took a cable car up to the entrance and the view was truly breathtaking. Jurassic Park-level jungle surrounds you. Then you arrive at the top of the mountain and it all immediately turns into another conversation.
When you get to the entrance to the “hotel” you realize that it is far bigger and weirder than that word suggests. We had to walk what felt like a literal mile just to get to the correct check-in point for our room because it is so sprawling with so many “towers” of rooms. It felt like walking through an amusement park’s version of different worlds, all connected by indoor walkways, colorful lighting, and a constant stream of people trying to get somewhere.
The place was completely packed. It felt like a reverse version of Vegas’ Fremont Street on a Saturday night, but indoors. Before the pandemic, the hotel reportedly averaged 90 percent occupancy, and the resort still markets it as a high-volume, budget-friendly option with automated check-in and rooms ranging from basic to club level. And it’s budget friendly. You can get a room for about $25 a night – no joke.
A world of nonsense awaits at the world’s largest hotel
There is an indoor theme park, an outdoor one, a mall, Snow World, bowling, a casino, and a ridiculous amount of food. The food, to be fair, was incredible. Nothing felt coherent and nothing really made sense, but that was part of the fun. You would look up in this 50 foot ceiling area and see a roller coaster whizzing by while people are also spinning in snow in the middle of summer. Meanwhile, I was just finishing my Char Kway Teow in awe of everything around me. Side note, if you’ve never had Char Kway Teow – find some and go now.
It also had that giant resort energy where everything felt mildly confusing for no reason. We were turned away from the casino for wearing flip flops which was absurd considering you could wear them everywhere else and there was a man wearing pajamas (but his shoes were closed so he was good). Then we found out you needed a casino card and to get it you had to register with your passport which was left in the room a mile away. There is also no WiFi in the rooms; you have to buy it and stay in the lobby level. So remember if you ever visit – brush up on all the rules and etiquette, there are some weird ones.
The First World Hotel in Malaysia is a sight to behold. It’s huge, ridiculous, overcrowded, imposing, annoying and utterly committed to excess. If you are looking for a quiet spa holiday, this is not it. However, if you want an over the top experience in the middle of the jungle, on top of a mountain, you will love it.
