Samsung’s hotel TVs add AirPlay connectivity

If you travel often or at all, you know the pain of trying to connect to one of your existing streaming services from a hotel TV. Well, Samsung wants to make things easier for weary travelers to watch their own content in hotels by adding Apple AirPlay support to Samsung Hospitality TVs.

All you want to do is watch The Bear in your room and go to bed before a big work day. Or lull the kids to sleep with some Paw Patrol in the adjoining room. Connecting your laptop, Chromecast, or Fire TV to a hotel TV isn’t always as easy as it seems, and maybe you’re reluctant to enter your credentials into your room’s smart TV interface. Wireless AirPlay connectivity from your device seems like a no-brainer, but until now, Samsung’s Hospitality grade TVs it provides to the hospitality industry didn’t include the feature.

In a press release, Samsung says connecting to a Hospitality TV is easy: Guests simply scan an on-screen QR code to securely connect their Apple device with a compatible TV in the hotel room. Samsung says no personal information is stored or saved by the establishment, and once you check out, information about paired devices is automatically erased.

Of course, this means the AirPlay feature will be limited to those with Apple devices (sorry, Android users), including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And once you’re using your Apple device to cast or mirror content, you won’t be able to use it for other tasks. You should also keep it plugged in to power as this will drain the battery. Make sure your device is connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, too, and hope that it’s a strong connection.

Once connected, the TV can mirror your phone or tablet’s screen or display cast content from a supported service or app, like a video from YouTube or movie or TV show from Netflix. Binge-watch a show, review a presentation, look at a photo album, play games, and enjoy the experience on a larger screen.

AirPlay support will be available at first for Samsung’s BU8000 model Hospitality TVs running Tizen 7.0 or later OS, after which it will roll out for other models. You’ll have to cross your fingers that the hotel you’re staying in has a compatible Samsung TV, and the rollout will undoubtedly take some time. But if you luck out upon arrival, you’ll be in AirPlay heaven.

All Samsung TVs sold to consumers in stores and online from 2019 and later, along with some 2018 models, already offer support for Apple AirPlay 2.