Back in April, Apple made AirPlay available in hotel rooms as part of iOS 17.3. As we mentioned at the time, the feature was rolling out first in partnership with the IHG hotel group, which owns a lot of popular hotel brands (Holiday Inn, Kimpton, InterContinental, avid, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and more).
Initial support was limited to very few hotels, in part because it relied on support built into specific models of LG TVs used in the hospitality industry.
Now, Samsung has announced AirPlay support for its Hospitality TVs. Coming first to the model HBU8000 and then in firmware updates to other models, it will work much as it does on LG TVs–users will scan a unique QR code on the TV and establish a direct connection between their phone and the TV so everything stays secure and private. No personal information is ever stored or saved, and all information about the guest’s connected device is erased when the guest checks out.
It is unclear if this announcement means expansion to hotels beyond the IHG Group hotels Apple first rolled out the feature with, or if the inclusion of AirPlay on Samsung hospitality TVs will just make the feature available in IHG hotels that use Samsung TVs. But over time, AirPlay support for hotel TVs is expected to be available widely, across many hotel chains and TV brands.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.