The Hotel Lobby Challenge: What It Is and How to Join
Remake the orange-booth duet with any pair you like, from best friends to your cat and dog. Here is where the trend came from and how to make your own with Hotel Lobby AI.
What is Hotel Lobby?
“Hotel Lobby” is a May 2022 song by Unc & Phew, the duo of Quavo and his nephew Takeoff. In June 2022 they performed it on A COLORS SHOW: two rappers in a flat orange studio, one microphone hanging between them, a camera that never moves. The Hotel Lobby challenge (also called the Hotel Lobby trend or remake) is the 2026 wave of short videos that recast that performance with new duos: friends, couples, TV characters, pets. Despite the name, nothing happens in a hotel; “Hotel Lobby” is just the song title.
Go deeper: the Hotel Lobby AI trend and where the song comes from.
How the challenge started (timeline)
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 2022 | “Hotel Lobby” released by Unc & Phew (Quavo & Takeoff) |
| June 2022 | A COLORS SHOW performance posted (orange booth, one mic) |
| ~Sep 15, 2026 | First widely shared AI edit on TikTok (two TV characters at the mic), reported by Billboard |
| Mid-Sep 2026 | Cat versions spread across TikTok and X |
| Sep 23, 2026 | Quavo reposts the original performance; trend reaches X timelines |
| Late Sep 2026 | Reported jump in weekly US streams of the song |
Why it works as a remake format
- Fixed camera, no cuts: easy to recreate with photos.
- Two voices: every swap reads as a duo.
- One instantly recognizable color: the orange booth.
- Open casting: the more unexpected the pair, the more shareable.
How to join the Hotel Lobby challenge with AI
- Pick your duo and get one clear photo of each (photo guide).
- Upload both photos in the Hotel Lobby AI video generator.
- Choose 3 or 15 seconds and quality. Cheapest: 3 seconds, Low 480P, 12 credits. New accounts don’t receive free credits.
- Generate, review, download, and post with #HotelLobby. See editing & posting tips.
Prefer a template feel? Try the Hotel Lobby AI template or a character swap. On your phone? Use the Hotel Lobby app in your browser.
Remake ideas
| Idea | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Best friends / couple | Generator |
| Your cat and dog | Pets version |
| Swap in characters you have rights to | Character swap |
| See finished clips first | Video examples |
| Want to write your own prompt elsewhere | Prompts |
Make it responsibly
Use photos you have permission to use, and don’t present the result as real footage of real people. The trend is built on a performance by Takeoff, who died in November 2022; some viewers find AI remakes of it sensitive. Hotel Lobby AI is an independent tool, not affiliated with the artists or A COLORS SHOW.
Hotel Lobby challenge FAQ
Join the Hotel Lobby challenge.