Put this $20 gadget in your carry-on immediately and thank me later

Summary

Use a Roku Streaming Stick for easy access to favorite streaming services while traveling.
Connect the Roku to the hotel TV’s HDMI port to enjoy your shows and movies.
In case the hotel blocks the HDMI port, contact the front desk for assistance to still access your streaming device.

As a frequent traveler, when I’m on vacation I like seeing the inside of my hotel room as little as possible. Filling my day with sightseeing, activities, and tours is what I’m all about, and if I get back to my room bone-tired, I’d call that a major success. However, no matter how fatigued I might be after a long day, I don’t immediately fall asleep as soon as I enter my room, as I need my allotted wind down time before bed. When I’m at home, this typically means sitting down on the couch and streaming something on one of the dozen

streaming services
I currently have access to.

I’ve tried to duplicate this while traveling, but hotel smart TVs typically only have access to a few apps (usually just

YouTube
and

Netflix
) and logging in to every single app to find something to watch is such a pain when you’re already tired from the events of the day. Fortunately, I’ve found a great little solution in the form of the $20 Roku streaming stick, which allows me to travel with my streaming services.

Brand: Roku
Dimensions: 3.7 x 0.80 x .45 inches
Weight: 0.90 ounces
Display: 1080p
Sound: Digital stereo, DTS Digital Surround passthrough, Dolby-encoded audio passthrough
Remote: Yes

The Roku Streaming Stick saved my TV’s life

This Roku Streaming Stick gave new life to my ancient TV.

Using a Roku Streaming Stick on a hotel TV

One of the things I enjoy most about having a Roku stick with me is it essentially a plug and play device. However, when you’re using hotel Wi-Fi, you’ll have to navigate to your Roku’s settings menu to connect to the Wi-Fi, which is a bit of a pain, but I promise it’s less annoying than using your hotel TV’s UI to log in to whatever apps it has available. Here’s how to connect:

Plug the Roku device into the hotel TV’s HDMI port and then power the TV on.
Navigate to the HDMI input using the hotel remote
Switch to the Roku remote, power the device on and press Home
Scroll and select Settings
Select Network
Select Set up connection
Select Wireless
From the list of available networks, choose the wireless network for the hotel. If you do not see the network, select Scan again to see all networks
After your Roku device connects to the network, select I am at a hotel or college dorm
You should see steps to authenticate the connection with your hotel on the screen. Depending on how the Wi-Fi is set up you may need to log in using your smartphone.

Amazon Fire TV Stick against purple flames

Netflix is dropping support for these Amazon Fire TV devices in June

If you own a first-generation Fire TV device, its support for Netflix will soon be discontinued.

What to do if you can’t access your hotel TV’s HDMI port

All hope is not lost

Roku Streaming Stick plugged in — Pocket-lint

Pocket-lint

Though it’s rare, some hotels really REALLY want you to use their UI to access streaming content, and will take the added step of blocking access to a TV’s HDMI port. If you run into this issue, do not try to remove the block yourself as occasionally these blocks are equipped with alarms to prevent theft or tampering. Instead, call the front desk. Let them know what you’re trying to do and see if there is a policy in place that will let you access your streaming device.

Sometimes they’ll let you know how to remove the block without tripping the alarm, or will send a maintenance person to your room to hook up the device during the duration of your stay. Occasionally, I’ve heard that some hotel policies might prohibit hooking up a streaming device in your room at all, but I’ve yet to come across this in my experience.