The meme
Hotel Lobby Meme: The Original Video, the Song and the AI Trend
Short answer: the Hotel Lobby meme comes from a 2022 COLORS studio video of “Hotel Lobby”, a song by Quavo and Takeoff, who performed it as Unc & Phew. Two rappers trade lines in a small orange booth under one hanging silver microphone, and since September 2026 people have been putting themselves, cats and made-up characters in their place.
Watch the original video
The original is a 2 minute 47 second performance that COLORS, a music video series, published on YouTube on June 17, 2022. It is one locked shot: both rappers stand knees-up in a small orange booth and trade verses at a single silver microphone.
The meme uses a 15-second stretch that starts about 15 seconds in. SameButMe doesn't host or embed the video, so it is cited here as a source.
What happens in the 15 seconds
The stretch people recreate has four beats.
- One rapper raps at the camera and points forward while the other nods along.
- They trade places at the mic: one turns away from the camera and dances while the other raps.
- Both put a finger to their lips for a “shh”.
- The first rapper turns back to the camera while the other lifts a hand to the forehead.
The song: “Hotel Lobby” by Quavo and Takeoff
“Hotel Lobby” came out in May 2022. Quavo and Takeoff, who were both in Migos, recorded it as Unc & Phew. The COLORS video is the version everyone recreates, so when people search for the Hotel Lobby original or song, this is the track and the clip they mean.
Takeoff died in November 2022, and some coverage of the AI trend has criticized putting his likeness into AI videos. SameButMe's template uses neither performer's face: its performers are our own AI characters, and your photos replace them.
How it became an AI trend
AI versions of the booth began to spread on TikTok in September 2026, with two cats standing on their hind legs, other people and made-up characters in the booth. On September 23 Quavo shared the real performance on his own accounts, and music outlets such as Complex covered the trend.
The recipe is the same every time: keep the booth, the microphone, the moves and the sound, and change who is in it.
Make your own Hotel Lobby video
Add two photos, one per person (you and a friend), and SameButMe makes the same booth clip with the two of you: a widescreen 16:9 video of about 15 seconds with the original track, ready in about 6 minutes. 720p costs 235 credits and 480p costs 110.
SameButMe is independent and isn't affiliated with Quavo, Takeoff, COLORS or their labels. Your video is generated from your photos; the original performers and footage aren't in it.
Open the Hotel Lobby templateHow to do the Hotel Lobby AI trend