Select IHG hotels now allow guests to connect their iPhones to hotel TVs via AirPlayIt’s hard to imagine a time when hotels didn’t have smart TVs. Not long ago, some people even used TV as a selling point, plastering roadside signs with the words "Free HBO." Today, guests are more likely to stick to their phones, sacrificing their room’s beautiful 48-inch flat-screen TV for TikTok and YouTube. But with a little extra work, you can have the best of both worlds and cast anything on your phone to a smart TV in your hotel room.
How to Cast iPhone to Hotel TV
There are official and unofficial options to send content from your iPhone to your TV. Let’s start with the most legal.
Use AirPlay (if your hotel supports it)
Starting today, iPhones can now use AirPlay to stream content from your phone directly to TVs in select hotels. The feature is already available at " more than 60 " IHG Hotels & Resorts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so give it a try next time you're staying at a Holiday Inn or Candlewood Suites.
The process is very painless: after turning on the TV, you should notice a QR code on the welcome screen. Simply scan it with a compatible Apple device to connect to WiFi and authorize AirPlay to that screen.
That's it, because the QR code is unique to your hotel room, you shouldn't find yourself accidentally streaming to another guest's device or vice versa. Apple says more locations will be added " in the coming months ," which makes sense — the limited rollout may have something to do with the special LG TVs required for the setup.
But what if you're not staying at an IHG hotel? This is where hackers come into play.
Other ways to cast your iPhone to your hotel TV
There are many adapters, like Roku and Fire TV sticks, that work with AirPlay right out of the box. The problem is getting hotel TVs to accept them.
Hotel TVs tend to be a little strict about what devices they allow you to plug in. This is thanks to special control boxes that lock them. Fortunately, these boxes can be removed (carefully) if you can actually connect the connectors to your TV. Lifehacker has covered it before , but the gist is to find an Ethernet cable (or possibly an HDMI cable), gently unplug it, then restart the TV before connecting the accessories. Depending on your hotel, you may also want to disconnect power from the control box if possible.
With the device plugged in, try swapping the TV input to the dongle and see if it works. If so, just connect it to wifi (you may need to open a browser page to do this depending on your hotel) and you're good to go. If you don't have access to hotel Wi-Fi, don't worry —AirPlay works without Wi-Fi , and you can always rely on a mobile hotspot.
(Be sure to connect the TV control box again before checking out!)
Chromecast HD vs. Google TV
How to cast your Android phone to your hotel TV
Streaming to an Android phone like the Pixel 8 Pro or Galaxy S24 Ultra to a hotel TV is very similar to streaming to an iPhone, but with a few extra features, some of which may work to your advantage. For example, hotel chains like Wyndham and Hyatt already have Chromecast built into your TVs, allowing you to cast from your phone or at least log into your streaming service, depending on how locked down they are. If you're lucky enough to have your Chromecast officially set up from the get-go, just follow the hotel's instructions to get started.
For everyone else, you may want to bring your own adapter, such as a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast. While it is possible to stream content from an Android phone to a TV without a dongle, it may not be easy in a hotel environment as these workarounds often require access to specific smart TV apps or features, which or functionality cannot be relied upon to be owned by your hotel or allow you to access it.
For the most seamless experience, I recommend the Chromecast, as some other adapters can only mirror your screen and not cast content across devices. By casting, you'll ensure you're getting the best possible resolution and generally get a more intuitive experience. (But note that Chromecast does require wifi when launching.)
Once you've entered your hotel room with the dongle, you'll need to follow the same steps outlined in the iPhone section above to connect it to your TV: gently disconnect the hotel control box from the TV, restart the TV, plug in the TV's Chromecast input, and switch to the correct input to test if everything is working properly.
If so, try connecting your dongle to WiFi (again, you may need to open a browser page). If the hotel wifi isn't working, you can try casting using a mobile hotspot, or screen mirroring without wifi at all, depending on your dongle (a Fire TV Stick is a good option if you're concerned about this).
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
