Traveler says he went to check into the world’s largest 7,351-room hotel, only for staff to say the line was ‘two to three hours minimum’

Travel content creator Simon Wilson (simonjwils) recently visited the world’s largest hotel and was shocked to learn that the volume of guests can lead to massive wait times just to check in. In a video with over eight million views on Instagram and TikTok, he documented his visit to the First World Hotel in the Genting Highlands of Malaysia and the sheer scale of the operation.

Wilson’s video started with him approaching the information desk, where a staff member told him how to check in. The staff member said, “The best is kiosk la, because if you go to the counter, you need to wait a long time. Many people.” When Wilson asked how long that wait might be, the response was a staggering, “It’s like two to three hours minimum.” Wilson went the kiosk route, but each step of the process still took time.

First, he had to queue for 30 minutes to register at a desk for the check-in kiosk, describing the wait as “absolute carnage.” Wilson told his viewers, “I have no idea what I expected coming here, but I did not expect it to be this busy.” When it was finally his turn to register, he asked out of curiosity, “How many rooms are occupied tonight out of 7,000?” Wilson was shocked to learn that 6,000 rooms were booked that day, and that weekends are usually a “full house.”

One of the major reasons for the crowd was the hotel’s features

As he moved to the kiosk to get his key, Wilson asked the staff about the business. The staff member told him that he had personally already checked in 200 people during the day. He also told Wilson that things are busy every single day because of the hotel’s casino. When he finally got his room assigned, it was room 902, in Tower 2, on the 22nd floor, and he was told that checkout only needed him to drop off a key.

According to Vice, the First World Hotel holds the Guinness record for the largest hotel with 7,351 rooms. It is about 50 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur and features a shopping mall, indoor and outdoor theme parks, and the country’s only legal casino, all against the backdrop of a “Jurassic Park-level jungle.” The writer described the resort as “huge, ridiculous, crowded, impressive, annoying, and completely committed to excess,” with incredible food.

Wilson’s viewers had plenty to say about the check-in process, and many joked that the check-in wait times might be because “people stand chatting to staff for 10 minutes for content.” Others, however, believed it might be a “short staff” problem, saying that other large hotels like The Venetian in Las Vegas don’t have the same problem.

Outside of the commentary on the check-in process, a lot of Wilson’s viewers were stunned by the crowds. Some users saw Wilson’s experience in a positive light, with one user describing it as “Such an unusual place!”

Others, however, were worried about what the scale would mean as an experience. One user worried about the cleanliness from that volume of guests, while another looked at Wilson’s experience and noted, “Immediately cancelling my reservation and finding a different hotel. I don’t even care if I’m paying the fees.” Another user wrote, “I would never stay there. Like why would I want to be around 7k people when I want to relax.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the First World Hotel’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Wilson’s Instagram and TikTok posts.