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 dozenstreaming servicesI 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 justYouTubeandNetflix) 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.
Roku Streaming Stick (2025)
The Roku Streaming Stick plugs directly into your TV and lets you start watching your shows and movies from your favorite streaming services. It comes with a Roku Voice Remote.
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
You’ll have to go through the settings menu at least once
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:
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
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 attempt to remove the block yourselfas 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.
This Roku mode ensures my Real Housewives addiction stays a secret
Guest Mode can save your Roku from unwanted tampering.
