You’ve just entered your hotel room. You see the thermostat is an electronic one that’s preset to a certain range. So you look up your go-to reference, our “How to Override Hotel Thermostat Settings” post. Next, you try to figure out how to override the hotel television so you can use its HDMI ports, stream from your Netflix account, play on your Xbox, or whatever.

“Why can’t the people who wrote about the thermostat hacks write about TV hacks, too?” you ask yourself.

Your wish is our command

Years ago, hotel TVs were simple enough. You got whatever the local (or, if you were lucky, cable) channels were, and you could pay for HBO, Showtime, or Pay-Per-View, but that’s pretty much all that was out there.

Times have changed, though. Besides local cable channels, there’s an entirely world of streaming channels, to say nothing of games, streaming directly from your devices, etc,. If only you could get your hotel TV to show them.

We’re going to show you as many of them as we can find. They’re divided into:

• Websites with written instructions
• YouTube videos (TV brands, hotel-specific, “clean” remotes at hotels, hardware-specific)

Caveats

Some of these procedures are 100% legit, while others probably have their own degree of shadiness. We don’t give direct directions on how to hack the TV in your hotel room; we just provide references to where you can find the directions yourself. We don’t guarantee any of them.

We realize that some of these instructions may essentially be repeats of others (i.e. one video covering the same topic as another), but one version might be easier for some to understand than others.

Remember that unless you have permission to override these settings, you could put yourself at risk of getting into trouble. Some TVs have alarms attached to them to stop people from trying to hack them (and you may not hear the alarm, but the front desk will). And the hotel could fine you for messing with their television. So proceed at your own risk.

Here we go

IHG & Apple devices: Easy & legal

In the spring of 2024, IHG announced that “more than 60” IHG Hotels & Resorts locations across the US, Canada, and Mexico began offering AirPlay on their specially equipped LG televisions.

From IHG & Apple: “AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV, favorite speakers, popular smart TVs, and even in select hotel rooms. Of course, what you share always stays personal and private. So sit back and enjoy everything you love — in more places than ever.”

If you have an Apple device and are staying at one of the hotels on IHG’s list, you’ll see a QR code when you turn your TV on. Scan the code with your Apple device, and you’ll receive prompts to connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi and authorize AirPlay on your TV screen.

Hyatt and Windgate by Wyndham: Android & Apple devices: Easy & legal

Select Hyatt and Windham by Wingate hotels have Chromecast built into their TVs, which allows you to cast from your Android or Apple device and/or log into your streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Spotify, etc. (depending on how locked down they are).

Less easy & legit: bypassing, unlocking, turning off “hotel mode,” etc.

Of course, most hotel TV overrides won’t be as easy as a legitimate QR code. Most hotel TVs are plugged into special control boxes that lock down the signal. However, some websites have included written instructions with possible ways to unlock or bypass them. Here are some of them:

• Autodesk Instructables: How to re-tune a Samsung hotel TV that’s in “hospitality mode” (the author mentions these TVs are popular in Premier Inn hotels in the UK)
• DIY Time: 20+ ways to unlock hotel TV menu
• Lifehacker: How to bypass hotel restrictions on some TVs
• Lifehacker: How to turn off “hotel mode” on hotel HiSense, LG & Samsung TVs
• Lifehacker: How to unlock inputs on hotel TCL, LG & Sony TVs
• NurturingHomeaid: Unlock your Samsung TV from hotel mode
• Pointerclick: Disabling hotel mode on LG, Samsung, HiSense
• Pointerclick: Unlocking the TV panel button
• Pointerclick: Unlocking the input on LG, TCL, Sony
• RobotPoweredHome: How to unlock LG TV from Hotel Mode
• TechJunctions: How to unlock Samsung Hospitality TV without remote
• TheTechyLife: How do I bypass Samsung Hotel TV? A quick guide
• TheTechyLife: How to unlock your LG TV from Hotel Mode: a step-by-step guide

The videos

Not surprisingly, there are bunches of videos that explain how to hack hotel TVs as well:

HiSense

Enable secret hotel menu HiSense Smart TV

LG

How to disable Hotel Mode & unlock the standard Settings Menu on LG TV (non-smart TV)

How to disable/override LG TV Hotel Mode (specifies LG32, LG300C)

How to reset an LG TV stuck in Hotel Mode

How to set up a game console or laptop at the hotel (no input lag and volume controls)

Panasonic

“Hotel menu” on Panasonic Viera TV

Philips

How to unlock every Philips TV from hotel mode

How to unlock a Philips hotel TV for HDMI

Samsung

How to turn off Hospitality Mode on Samsung TV:

How to unlock the Samsung TV menu:

How to turn off Hotel Mode Samsung Smart TV

How to turn off hotel mode on Samsung TV

More than one brand on the same video

How to bypass blocked hotel TV inputs (LG, Samsung, Sony are specifically mentioned)

When hotel has a Clean Remote

Accessing TV input to stream HDMI source when there isn’t a button on the TV or remote:

How to change hotel TV input with Clean Remote

Hotel-specific

Some videos specified hotels, even though you could (usually) see what TV brand they were using. I’ll still put these in their own category

Marriott (Fairfield by Marriott, Autograph Collection, Generalized Marriott) – TV on screen is LG

How to connect XBox or Playstation to a Marriott Hotel TV

How to hook up a PS4, XBox, Apple TV, Switch or any HDMI device to a Marriott hotel TV

Hyatt (specifies Hyatt Regency)

Hardware-specific

Streaming TV in your hotel room with Firestick TV

This TV isn’t part of your Netflix household

How to hook up PS4 to hotel TV

How to stream on the road: Roku Streaming Stick 4K, Fire TV, Routers & more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pryPy7btqiw

How to connect Roku to hotel TV

Fix for Roku not working on Philips TV

How to connect your cell phone to hotel TV

Feature Photo: LG

*** Many thanks to CaptainWaders, who gave me the kick in the behind to finally write this 😉

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