Designing a Frictionless Guest Experience for In-Room Casting
Guests expect to stream their own content with ease, just like they do at home. We designed a simple, secure casting experience that works reliably across thousands of hotel rooms.
MY ROLE
I built and led the product design team responsible for the connected room experience. I helped shape the business case that secured funding for the initiative, prioritized the design work, and worked closely with cross-functional stakeholders to align on goals and bring the vision to life.
THE TEAM
Familiar Behavior, Unfamiliar Constraints
As part of our Connected Room initiative, we set out to design a feature that would allow guests to cast their own streaming content to the in-room TV using their mobile device. While the behavior was familiar at home, delivering it in a hotel environment introduced unique complexity: each property has hundreds of TVs, often in close proximity. We needed to ensure guests could easily connect to the right screen without technical friction or risk of cross-room interference—all while keeping the experience simple, secure, and brand-consistent across a diverse portfolio of hotels.
Streaming That Just Works
The casting feature is now live across thousands of connected rooms, giving guests a simple and familiar way to stream their own content. It’s become a core part of the connected room experience, delivering on our goal of blending comfort, control, and personalization. By solving a complex technical challenge with an intuitive design, we helped create a more modern, guest-centered stay that feels both effortless and secure.
From Home Habits to Hotel Solutions
To ground the experience in real guest needs, we began by studying how people use casting technology at home and what they expect in a hotel setting. Through guest interviews, competitor analysis, and site visits, we identified key behaviors and frustrations, including concerns about privacy, connection reliability, and ease of setup. These insights helped us define a seamless flow that felt familiar to guests while accounting for the unique technical environment of a hotel.
Testing in the Wild
We took an iterative approach to refining the casting experience, starting with controlled pilots in select properties. One key focus was understanding how guests would use a QR code to initiate the connection between their phone and the in-room TV. We tested several variations to evaluate clarity, placement, and expected behavior. These experiments helped us streamline the setup process and reduce friction at the moment of use.