I'm stuck at a hotel for a work conference for five nights and was hoping to use my PS5 to unwind at night. I've connected to TVs in hotels without issues before, but this particular LG TV seems to be in some 'hotel mode' and won't let me change the input to connect my PS5. Right now, the only input available is the cable box through HDMI, and I don't have the TV's remote, just the DirectTV remote.
I tried holding down the mute button, which brought up the accessibility menu, but now I'm stuck with it reading audio out loud. I called maintenance hoping they'd have an LG remote to help me out, but they didn't know much about it. I also tried using the built-in buttons on the TV, but they're super limited.
As a last resort, I'm thinking of powering everything off, switching the HDMI cable from the cable box to the PS5 while keeping it plugged into the TV, and then turning it all back on. Can anyone tell me if this is a good plan? Will it alert the hotel if I do this? Could the TV prevent me from using my PS5 even after I switch the cable?
5 Answers
Make sure you check the physical buttons on the TV; they should let you change inputs. If all else fails, just try switching the HDMI cable and powering it back up. If you ask the hotel staff nicely, they might even have a spare remote you can use.
If the TV has any physical buttons, try using those to switch the input. If nothing works, you might want to pick up a cheap universal remote from a local store. It could save you a lot of hassle.
A dedicated universal remote could be a game changer. Here's what I usually do: unplug everything, plug in your device, and then use a universal remote to control the TV. You’ll likely gain better control over settings and might even bypass that pesky hotel mode.
Switching the HDMI from the cable box to the PS5 is likely to work without alerting anyone. At worst, the TV might simply ignore the PS5, but there's a good chance it'll recognize it just fine.
You might be onto something by turning everything off first and then trying a different HDMI port. Sometimes, TVs will detect a new device automatically once powered on. If it's not detecting after you do that, you may be dealing with an older TV that doesn't recognize certain inputs well.
Unfortunately, I only found one button, and it didn’t help much since it’s really limited.