AirPlay now works with compatible televisions in select hotels, letting you stream your favorite shows on the TV when traveling without configuring anything.
The feature is available today at 60+ properties from IHG Hotels & Resorts in North America, including Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, Candlewood Suites and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, says the Apple Newsroom announcement.
The feature will be coming to other IHG hotel properties “in the coming months.” The complete list where AirPlay is available can be found on the IHG website.
Apple originally announced the AirPlay in hotels feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024. It was supposed to arrive alongside iOS 17 but took longer than expected because complicated partnerships take time.
How to use AirPlay in hotel rooms
In the announcement, Apple explained that visitors simply scan a QR code displayed on the TV in their hotel room with their iPhone or iPad (iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 or later required) to authorize AirPlay. That’s it; all it takes is a QR code scan to send content to the hotel room TV without entering an AirPlay password.
Users can automatically connect to the compatible LG hotel TV in their guest room and the hotel’s Wi-Fi network by scanning a unique QR code on the screen. Once connected, guests can share almost anything on the big screen in their hotel room directly from their iPhone or iPad.
You can authorize multiple devices to beam content to the TV via AirPlay, which is great if you travel with friends or loved ones. Apple explains there’s no need to worry about private stuff being exposed to other hotel guests via the local network.
Each QR code is unique to the hotel room and ensures that content is available only to the user—meaning anything guests share to the hotel TV stays personal and private. When they check out, their connection to the TV is erased, so future guests and hotel staff can’t access the user’s activity.
AirPlay is one of Apple’s best features. Using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, AirPlay lets you wirelessly beam video and audio to devices that can receive AirPlay content, like Apple TV, Mac and compatible smart TVs and gaming consoles.
One of Apple’s best features
Using AirPlay at hotels is a chore because IT administrators disable peer-to-peer networking on their networks for security reasons, rendering AirPlay unusable.
However, Apple has worked with the biggest hotel chains to remove this obstacle, and this is the first result of that effort. Since many hotels already integrate with similar casting features from Google, this is excellent news for Apple fans.
LG, which supplies many hotel chains with TV sets, recently said hotels will begin installing these AirPlay-enabled smart TVs later this spring.
Apple’s original announcement mentions that IHG Hotels & Resorts will roll out AirPlay support across its Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, InterContinental, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Indigo and Avid brands.