Choosing the right hotel is often one of the most important aspects of planning a vacation. For some people, it’s all about the view. For others, location is everything. Some people choose their hotel based on amenities such as the swimming pool, restaurant, bar, gym, and room service. But if you're a traveler who is always looking for a superlative in your hotel experience, you might consider staying at First World Hotel in Malaysia's Genting Highlands. It's not the fanciest or the most luxurious (it has a three-star rating), and it's a bit off the beaten path, but if you're looking for the largest hotel on the planet, look no further.
With 7,351 rooms and 36 floors, the colorful First World Hotel has held the title of world's largest hotel (measured by number of rooms) since 2015 – its second stint as the Guinness World Record holder. First World Hotel originally held the title from 2006 to 2008, back when it only had 6,118 rooms. However, the Venetian–Palazzo complex in Las Vegas surpassed it from 2008 until First World Hotel's expansion in 2015, when it added a new block and 1,233 additional rooms.
So what's there to do at First World Hotel besides counting room numbers? The hotel's 500,000-square-foot (46,000-sq-m) plaza offers an array of activities, including the Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, a golf course, cinema, gym, tennis court, mall, virtual reality attraction, and casino. If you venture outside, which you certainly should, you'll be surrounded by the Titiwangsa Mountains, allowing you to immerse yourself in the subtropical rainforest, just a drive of an hour and a half from Malaysia's bustling capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
That's a lot of pillows:
- The Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, located within the plaza of First World Hotel, offers visitors a chance to try Asia’s first free-fall simulator, among many other adventurous rides.
- The nearby Arena of Stars amphitheater has hosted musical acts ranging from Lionel Richie to Deep Purple, but is best known for its lion and dragon dance competitions.
- First World Hotel is just one of seven hotels, along with numerous leisure, retail, dining, and entertainment venues, that make up the Resorts World Genting complex.
