The Hotel Lobby AI Trend, Explained
By Hotel Lobby AI · Updated October 16, 2026 · 5 min read
The Hotel Lobby AI trend is a wave of AI videos that put two new performers, friends, pets or cartoon characters, into the orange-booth scene from Quavo and Takeoff's 2022 COLORS performance of “Hotel Lobby”. It took off on TikTok in early September 2026 and spread to Instagram and YouTube.
Key facts
- The song is “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” by Quavo and Takeoff, released on May 20, 2022.
- The orange-booth performance was recorded for A COLORS SHOW and aired in June 2022.
- Takeoff died on November 1, 2022.
- The AI trend gained traction on TikTok in early September 2026. Early viral clips showed two cats in the booth.
- On September 23, 2026, Quavo reposted the original performance with the caption “Aye Take we viral again The original!!! #HOTELLOBBY”.
Dates and quotes are from Complex's report of September 27, 2026.
What the trend is
Every Hotel Lobby AI video has the same picture: a plain orange room, a single microphone hanging from the ceiling, and two performers standing on either side of it, trading rap verses into the camera. The joke is who the two performers are. People have put in their friends, their grandparents, their cats, film characters and politicians.
Despite the name, it has nothing to do with hotels. “Hotel Lobby” is the title of the song.
Where it came from
In 2022, Quavo and Takeoff, performing as the duo Unc & Phew, played “Hotel Lobby” on A COLORS SHOW, a music series known for filming artists against a single flat colour. Theirs was orange. Four years later, AI video tools made it possible to swap anyone into that scene, and in early September 2026 the format took off on TikTok.
How the videos are made
There are two ways, and they are not the same thing.
| Approach | What it does | What it reuses |
|---|---|---|
| Character swap | Replaces the two people in the original footage and keeps their movements | The original video, the original recording, the artists' performance |
| New scene | Generates a new orange-booth scene around your two photos, with a new song | Only the idea of the scene |
Most tools do the first. Hotel Lobby AI does the second: the booth, the performance and the song are generated for each video.
Why people are arguing about it
Takeoff was killed in November 2022, a few months after the performance. Some fans say the swaps erase him from one of his best-known moments. Quavo has reposted the original performance and has called seeing it go viral again “bittersweet”, as Tom's Guide reported on October 5, 2026.
The same coverage raises three practical concerns: whether the people in the uploaded photos agreed to it, what AI apps do with those photos, and who owns the music.
Making one yourself
You need two photos you're allowed to use and a few minutes. Open the studio and your first two videos are free.
Questions
What song is in the Hotel Lobby AI trend?
“HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” by Quavo and Takeoff, released in May 2022. Character-swap videos keep that recording. Videos made with Hotel Lobby AI use a newly generated song instead.
Why is it called Hotel Lobby?
It's the title of the song. There is no hotel in the videos.
Who are the original performers?
Quavo and Takeoff, two members of Migos, performing as Unc & Phew on A COLORS SHOW in 2022.
Keep reading
How to Make a Hotel Lobby AI Video
Two photos, an optional theme, one button. The full walkthrough with photo tips and what to do when a video fails.
Read the guide
Hotel Lobby AI and Copyright: What Can Get a Post Muted
The song, the footage and the faces are three different questions. What each one means for the video you're about to post.
Read the article