Hotel Lobby Trend Ideas: 10 Duets to Try

The hard part of the Hotel Lobby trend is no longer how to make the video. It is deciding who goes in it and what they say. The orange booth works for almost anything, but the best videos tend to share one thing: a viewer understands the relationship between the two people in under a second, and then gets one specific joke or detail that only they could have.

Below are ten ideas organized by who is in the video. Each includes who it suits, which stage to pick, a short original duet to use as a starting point, and a photo tip. If you have not made one yet, the step-by-step is in how to do the Hotel Lobby trend. Come back here when you need something to put in it.

A note on the lyrics: they are written for you to adapt. Replace the details with your own, keep each line short, and read them aloud once. The 1: and 2: prefixes mark which person raps each line. On a credit purchase the video uses your text as the topic and writes its own bars from it; singing your exact words is part of the monthly and yearly plans. Either way, a specific topic beats a vague one.

1. Best friends

Good for: the friend you text every day, the group-chat pair, anyone with ten years of inside jokes.

Stage: Hotel Lobby (orange). This is the classic look.

1: Ten years deep and you still owe me for the pizza
2: Paid you back in memes, call it a friendship visa
1: Group chat's on fire every time we say a word
2: Two best friends, the loudest duo you have ever heard

Photo tip: use two photos, not one, and make sure each person is looking at the camera. A mid-laugh photo gives you more energy than a posed one.

2. Couples

Good for: anniversaries, Valentine's Day, a "how we met" video.

Stage: Luxury Lobby. The warm marble and gold feels like a date night rather than a cypher.

1: You laughed at my first joke, it was terrible, I know
2: I laughed so you would stay, now look at how we grow
1: Three years on, you still steal the blanket every night
2: And you still hold my hand like it's our very first flight

Photo tip: a photo of both of you works well here, since couples tend to have a favorite picture together. Pick one where both faces are large and not partly hidden.

3. Grandparent and grown grandchild

Good for: a gift for a birthday or holiday, a family reunion, a video the whole family will actually watch twice.

Stage: Studio Booth, which gives a recording-session feel.

1: Back in my day we rapped with no Wi-Fi
2: Now Grandpa's on the beat, watch the old man fly
1: Fifty years of fishing and he never caught a thing
2: Kid, I caught your grandma, that's the only catch I bring

Photo tip: both people need to be adults, and both need to agree. Use a clear, well-lit photo of each. Older photos are fine, but avoid scans with creases or glare across the face.

4. Birthday shout-out

Good for: someone who loves to be teased in a friendly way, or a friend who is turning a milestone age.

Stage: Street Cypher suits hype and roasts. On a monthly or yearly plan you can also describe a Custom stage, such as a living-room party with balloons and a cake, which is what the example below uses.

1: Another year older, same old questionable shoes
2: Another year wiser, that's the part you always lose
1: Cake is getting cold, make a wish and blow it out
2: Happy birthday, legend, that's what this is all about

Photo tip: one photo of the birthday person and one of the friend who is "roasting" them. Keep the roast about harmless habits and nothing that could embarrass someone in public.

5. Coworkers

Good for: a team farewell, a launch day, an office party, a promotion.

Stage: Studio Booth or Hotel Lobby (orange). The example below uses a Custom office stage, which comes with a monthly or yearly plan.

1: Nine a.m. meeting that could have been an email
2: Coffee number three and I'm still reading the detail
1: We shipped it on a Friday and nobody broke a sweat
2: Monday's for the bugs, but we are not worried yet

Photo tip: use friendly, relaxed photos rather than an ID-badge headshot. Check with your colleagues first. Even a workplace joke should be something they are happy to see posted.

6. You and your pet

Good for: pet owners whose dog or cat already has a personality. Animals are less predictable than people in AI video, so treat this one as a fun experiment and have a second photo ready.

Stage: Hotel Lobby (orange) for the look, or Street Cypher for something sillier.

1: He steals my socks and then he gives me that look
2: Woof. They were on the floor, so they're mine by the book
1: Six a.m. breakfast and he will not let it slide
2: Woof. I run this house, you just pay for the ride

Photo tip: pets need a clear face just like people do. Take a photo at their eye level, with the face large in the frame and the head turned toward the camera. Treats help.

7. Graduation

Good for: two classmates, a study group, siblings graduating together.

Stage: Luxury Lobby for a dressed-up feel, or Hotel Lobby (orange) for the trend look.

1: Four years of all-nighters, now the diploma's in my hand
2: Powered by cold coffee, that was never in the plan
1: The future's on the phone, says it's time to make our way
2: Tell the future wait a minute, we are sleeping in today

Photo tip: photos in caps and gowns are great. Take them outdoors in daylight, and keep hats from shading the eyes.

8. Long-distance friends

Good for: friends in different cities or countries, a video call that never quite works as a hangout.

Stage: Hotel Lobby (orange), which puts you both in the same place.

1: Different time zones, but we're in the same booth
2: You're asleep when I'm up, but the group chat tells the truth
1: Next summer, no excuses, I am booking the flight
2: You bring the snacks, I'll have the playlist ready tonight

Photo tip: this is where two-photo mode shines. Each person takes their own selfie, wherever they are, and it does not matter that the backgrounds do not match. Send each other the best picture rather than a screenshot.

9. Roommates

Good for: people who share a kitchen and have opinions about it.

Stage: Street Cypher.

1: Your dishes in the sink since Tuesday, no lie
2: Your bass through the wall since Tuesday, oh my
1: We split the rent in half, but the chores? Not quite
2: Truce: I wash a plate, you turn it down tonight

Photo tip: keep it playful. A roast that makes both people laugh is the whole idea; if one of you would be upset by it, pick another topic.

10. Wedding party

Good for: the best man and maid of honor, a bridal shower, a rehearsal dinner.

Stage: Luxury Lobby.

1: Known the groom since seventeen, he has never been on time
2: Known the bride since school, she's the one who keeps him in line
1: The vows were the easy part, now the party's getting loud
2: Raise a glass to the two of them and make the whole room proud

Photo tip: use photos the two people are happy to see, ideally ones they have sent you themselves. If the video is a surprise for the couple, check with a close friend or family member that they will enjoy it.

How to make any of these ideas better

A few things are true across all ten:

• Pick one joke. A 12-second video has room for one idea. If you try to cover five, none of them will land.
• Use names or nicknames sparingly. One specific word is a hook. Five is a list.
• Keep lines short. Custom lyrics need between two and eight lines, up to 400 characters in total. Four short lines usually sound better than eight long ones.
• Match the stage to the mood. Orange is the trend look, Luxury is warm, Studio is cozy, Street is loud.
• Ask first. Only upload photos of adults who have agreed to appear. If it is a surprise, ask a mutual friend whether the person would enjoy it.
• Say it is AI. Mention in the caption that the video is AI-generated. The example videos on this page use made-up people for exactly that reason.

When you have picked an idea, open the generator, add your two photos, choose a stage and press Make our rap video. Most videos are ready in about three minutes, and failed renders are never charged.