Have you ever thought that there is a TV in your hotel room? wonderful Are there options for shows and movies to watch? No, neither do I. InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) and Apple have teamed up to solve that problem (and then some) for travelers. I just experienced that solution myself.
As of April 18, more than 60 IHG properties in the United States have installed Apple AirPlay on their guest room TVs. From now on, guests at these properties will be able to use their personal iPads or iPhones to stream everything from their latest favorite shows to Swift’s latest album to their LG TVs in their rooms. You will be able to stream it.
This integration is available from the IHG Studio “home screen” that appears on your TV interface when you check into your room. Simultaneously pair to your hotel’s Wi-Fi and set up an AirPlay connection by scanning a separate QR code with your device’s camera. From there, you can cast almost anything from the small screen to the big screen of your TV.
I tried a few use cases at an IHG property in New York City, and some were pretty obvious. Easily stream Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus movies and shows to your hotel room TV, and your connected iPad can now act as a remote control. You can also control your TV’s volume using the volume control on your paired device.
However, you can also incorporate your Apple Watch into the mix by using AirPlay to cast your Apple Fitness Plus workouts to your TV. Given the dire state of some hotel gyms, being able to work out a sweat on-screen with a personal coach, and more specifically, on a screen you can actually see, is a game-changer. It seems like something to do.
The AirPlay suggestion notification that arrived with iOS 17 prompts you to start casting when you open an app like Apple Music, so setup was very intuitive. Given that there’s no limit to the number of devices that can be paired in one room, I can see my friend and I fighting over who gets to be his DJ while getting ready to go out.
When you permanently leave a room (also known as checking out), the room’s QR code will be reset and you will no longer be able to use AirPlay on the TV in that room.
This update comes during the peak travel season of spring break. Properties currently supporting this partnership range from IHG’s luxury to budget hotel brands, including Holiday Inn, Kimpton Hotels, Avid Hotels and Iberostar. AirPlay relies on modern TVs, so availability in your facility will depend on the capabilities of your existing TVs. As such, new properties are likely to support AirPlay, but IHG plans to make AirPlay-enabled TVs standard in the future.
