Friday, March 14, 2008

Top 10 World's Largest Hotels

Caffeine is really messing up my sleep schedule. It's 3:20AM. I've only had 5.5 hours of sleep the night before. Guess who's wide awake?!
Anyway...
I was writing my Japanese presentation on my trip to Asia last summer and had to double check that Genting, one of the hotels we stayed at in Malaysia, was the largest in the world.

Forbes Traveler (which, btw, is a super fascinating site - I'll definitely take the time to fully browse around when I have the time) had a list of The World's Biggest Hotels and I was right, Genting did come in first. Not surprisingly, Las Vegas held the title for almost all the other largest hotels... and most of them are owned by MGM Mirage.

1. Genting: The City of Entertainment [6,118 rooms]
This place is a world of its own. It's known as the Las Vegas of Malaysia, but I think it surpasses Las Vegas in the tackiness factor. Very impressive mountain resort admist a 100 million year old forest. It has 2 huge amusement parks (1 indoor and 1 outdoor), Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum, a wind-turbine sky diving simulator (Ooo I didn't know about that), 2 casinos, its own shopping mall, a cineplex, a show room where they hold concerts (for example, the Black Eyed Peas, Boyz II Men, Michael Learns To Rock, JJ Lin, and Olivia Newton-John have sung there. Kenny G is performing on April 26th), a world class golf course, and tons of restaurants and buffets (freshly cut durian anyone?). It's possible to drive up there, but a lot of people get there by (the world's fastest) cable car. Great experience - I'd totally go again.
2. MGM Grand [5,044 rooms]
Interesting - I stayed at this "Emerald City" when the theme was the Wizard of Oz and everything was decorated so. There was also a fun amusement park in the back. However they tore refurbished everything in 2000 to accommodate a more mature clientele. I remember Las Vegas as a very fun place for the old and young.
3. Luxor, Las Vegas [4,408 rooms]
Also was renovated. It had an Egyptian theme. Very distinguishable - it's still shaped as a pyramid.
4. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas [4,332 rooms]
5. Ambassador City Jomtien Hotel, Pattaya, Thailand [4,239 rooms]
6. Venetian, Las Vegas [4,027 rooms]
Ooo pretty - I'd like to stay there. How romantic.
7. Excalibur, Las Vegas [4,008 rooms]
I haven't heard very good reviews of this place...
8. Bellagio, Las Vegas [3,933 rooms]
Yaaay!! You know it's on my list of 100+ things to do before I die.
9. Circus Circus, Las Vegas [3,773 rooms]
When I visited back when I was 8 or 9 and played games there, it was really fun and they had a ton of entertainment (I won a couple of my favourite stuffed animals there), but it looked really grungy, old and tired. They renovated it in 1997 and changed it from a American-style circus to a more upscale Cirque Du Soleil style.

LOL guess which well-known hotel chain gets in at 10th?
10. Flamingo, Las Vegas [3,565]
Not much to say about this place...

The next couple are Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas and the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, Honolulu.

I highly recommend you check out Forbes Travel when you have time!! WOW
Wanna see where you can go for a $75,000 USD around-the-world 24 day trip around the world?
Did you know that there are geek cruises that offer computer classes on board? And Shakespeare/Elvis-themed cruises.
Hawaii's sexiest beaches? Most romantic beaches? The world's tallest and biggest. World's most expensive desserts? America's best pizzeria's?
How about outrageous hotel perks? New York’s Fitzpatrick Hotel offers a fairy-tale experience for children, capitalizing on the American Girls doll craze. Kids and their dolls are greeted by name at check-in. In the room there are slippers and a robe for the doll, as well as a special bed and turndown service to mimic every guest’s experience. At breakfast, dolly gets a place setting of her own. At Boston’s XV Beacon frequent guests experience holiday cheer with a Tiffany’s gift from the hotel. Oh how magical traveling can be when you have the money for it.

We live in such an amazing world. Go out and enjoy it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good words.