You could try to set up the Roam by connecting to your hotel’s Wi-Fi or connecting to another device set up as a hotspot. If this isn’t possible, then you just have to wait until you get home. Or return the Roam and get a different Bluetooth speaker.

FYI… setting up all of my 10 Sonos devices has been quite easy.

I bought the roam at a Cosco along the journey… a return is not possible at this point. Also, the Sonos we set up in our office required an IT member… and two days time. FYI

And yet my young grandson set up his new Sonos Roam in less than ten minutes, whilst away from Home, using my iPhone (mobile hotspot). 

He attached his new iPhone to my mobile Hotspot (we didn’t have WiFi nearby at the camp site), he opened the S2 App, which he got from the Apple Store and setup/registered the Roam. 

I seem to recall he had to do a quick firmware update, which downloaded quickly over a 4G mobile network connection, but then away he went with it Bluetooth-paired to his own iPhone. 

I don’t think anyone really needs a member from IT to sort these things, we certainly didn’t have one to hand. 

It’s probably more about the case of knowing what you actually needed to do to setup/register the speaker, which is even easier if you do have a home WiFi network to hand as ‘clearly’ mentioned in the Sonos System Requirements .. we were camping at the time and had to improvise, but it took minutes, not hours, or days.

Sonos System Requirements:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/126

You bought a device without thinking, yet seem to be able to look far enough into the Sonos soft- and hardware to say that having to set up a wifi/bluetooth speaker that can form part of a multiroom system via wifi is “SO unnecessary”?

I am having the same issue I am on a ship and underway for 3 months. I always make impulsive purchases before going to sea if you’ve ever done it you would understand why. We have WiFi on the ship and seems like it will get through the setup then disappears. You guys seem pretty tough on the ordinator of this, I can sympathizes with them it’s frustrating. I will have to sit and look at this awesome speaker as we cross the Atlantic in my silent cabin. On the other hand it holds paper down really well.  

At least If you do drop it in the pool on deck, or the sea, then just to let you know the Roam is really resistant to water ingress and so it’s worth fishing out to continue to use it, bon voyage.

@Perri68 You could try to set it up on the wifi from another phone and use it on bluetooth after that.

I tend to read a number of reviews before I purchase an expensive item, so maybe there is a lesson there I do believe it’s pretty clearly stated that the Sonos portable speakers need to be set up via WiFi before they can then be used in Bluetooth mode .