Kicking back and watching a bit of telly in a hotel suite is a nice change from doing it at home, especially while sporting a soft robe on a king-sized bed after a relaxing afternoon sipping cocktails by the pool.
However, with that comes a caveat. Despite the hotel likely having a great record when it comes to clenliness, there’s always the spectre of the remote control. Who last touched it? And what did they last touch? You know what I mean, right?
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So germaphobic tech fans around the world were delighted when Apple announced it’d be bringing its AirPlay casting technology to hotel television sets on compatible LG televisions.
The update was announced as part of iOS 17 last year, but didn’t make it into the operating system until January’s iOS 17.3 release.
Now the first hotel chain has announced the feature is now live on their televisions. 60 IHG hotel and resort locations in the US, Canada and Mexico now support the feature, with others to follow.
The television sets will show a QR code on the display, immediately allowing guests to connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi and then via AirPlay. They can stream from their iPhone or iPad, or simply to use their phone as a remote control for the TV’s other features. IHG says each QR code is unique to ensure the user’s content is only streamed to the TV in the hotel room and nowhere out.
Once connected, guests will be able to stream content from their own apps rather than simply relying on the hotel’s cable or satellite offering. All-in-all it seems like a great way to add a little connected luxury to the hotel experience.
You can see the hotels currently offering the AirPlay functionality here.
