From indulgent breakfasts to unforgettable pools, hotels do so many things right. When it comes to entertainment however- many are lost in a previous age. I mean, does anyone actually pay $20 to rent a movie anymore? Netflix, Hulu and countless other services have revolutionized binge watching, and to ensure that you get absolutely no work done while on the road-we’re sharing a handy trick from AusBT, to plug your Netflix in to just about any hotel TV.
Just about every phone, iPad or tablet can be hooked up to an HDMI cord. Now, if that’s foreign language to you- HDMI is a connection which allows you to pipe a video into your television. For newer Apple products, you’ll want a “Lightning to HDMI” cord. For other devices just Google your phone to HDMI, and it should recommend products. These cords will run between $25-$50.
Yep, that single cord connects to just about every hotel television. Charge up your device, plug it in to your HDMI cord, change the TV input to HDMI (on your TV remote) and there you go- anything (like Netflix) beamed directly from your iPad to the big screen. Perfect for a little afternoon down time, or some midnight jet lag insomnia! And if you need something to watch…
To say that our excitement level went off the charts, when Netflix announced that you could download most shows, to watch offline- is a total understatement. You can also download all your favorite television shows and films from the Google Play, iTunes, Amazon and other stores- in advance, so that internet speed and connection doesn’t matter. As we know, connection speeds can seriously vary in hotels.
Saying it’s going to work EVERYWHERE just sets everyone up for disappointment- but it should work in most places you visit. Some hotels have their TV’s more or less hidden, and connections harder to reach, but it’s a totally reasonable request to ask to plug something in, if you happen to need help reaching the HDMI plug. If the hotel already has Netflix/Hulu, etc congrats! We stay in hotels constantly and hardly ever see any that do. Maybe one day they’ll read our hotel pet peeves and adapt…
HT: AusBT
It helps if you have a smartphone with IR control as many (most?) hotel remotes will not let you switch to the HDMI connector. I keep an older Samsung in my bag just for this reason.
How did i not know this!
Why are people watching Netflix on vacay?
I travel with this connector and plus my SkyStream One to watch addons on Kodi. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I’m on vacation or business when traveling but it is nice to fill in those down times with something good to watch on television.