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Do You Even Use The Hotel's Alarm Clock Anymore?

March 24, 2010 at 12:10 PM | by | Comments (7)

Almost every hotel room, from a no-frills budget shoebox to a luxury suite, comes with one standard amenity, an alarm clock. But do you really use it? Do you even need it?

Times are a-changing and many hotel guests bring along their iPhones, cell phones and other travel-sized timepieces to wake them up. Why waste your time with a foreign contraption whose settings you don't understand when you can just use your tried and true cell phone alarm. For back up, you can just use the hotel's wake-up call service, which have gotten pretty creative in recent years.

It just seems like the room's provided gadget is now unnecessary.

The only perk to having alarm clocks in your hotel room is that they often pull double duty as docking stations, like the iLuv alarm clock above at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Admittedly, it's nicer to wake up to your own soundtrack than the harsh beeping racket or some random radio station. But even those can be complicated to get working. (We've put together fail-proof instructions for you here.)

What's your take? Do you use hotel alarm clocks or do you think they are are a waste of time? Let us know in the comments below.

Comments (7)

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I use them as clocks

I use my Blackberry as my alarm even at home, so I rely on it when in hotels as well. It seems more trustworthy than working out an alarm clock I am not familiar with.

But I do like the alarm clocks in hotel rooms... as clocks! If it's dark, I want to be able to check the time quickly, not fumble for my Blackberry and turn it on to check the time.

MsRebecca on March 24, 2010 at 12:49 PM #Permalink

NOPE

I use my phone for everything now. I had an alarm clock at home, but when I moved recently, I didn't bother to take it out of the box. Phone is my alarm clock. At hotels it's the same; maybe I used the iHome-type things as chargers, but then I usually just automatically plug in my phone with its cord first thing anyway.
JetSetCD on March 24, 2010 at 1:46 PM #Permalink

iHome

Always use the iHome as a charger for my iHome.  The one thing that really gets me is when the alarm clocks are really hard to see from the bed, or don't glow in the dark.  There is something to be said for seeing the alarm clock read 4:55 and realize you have one more full hour to sleep.
markj on March 24, 2010 at 2:23 PM #Permalink

Yup!

I set the alarm clock, I set my iPod, I set my cell phone, AND I call for a wake up call.  I think I may have a problem. LOL.
David Jeffery on March 24, 2010 at 2:41 PM #Permalink

hard to see!

i wear contacts/glasses so when i wake up in the middle of the night i can hardly see the alarm clock in the middle of the night. its much easier to grab my cellphone and hold that up to my face. also, hotel alarm clocks are never set to the precise time. usually they are 15-20 minutes behind. and i have no patience for setting the alarm. much easier to go with my tried and true cellphone alarm.
juliana on March 25, 2010 at 2:08 AM #Permalink

most def

have to agree with David. if i'm at home or on leisure travel I just stick to the blackberry. but for business travel, i'm usually so afraid i'll sleep too late and miss some important meeting, that i set my phone, the alarm clock AND a wake up call. i think the unfamiliar wake-up noise from a new alarm clock can actually work better than my phone noise, which I'm use to snoozing for about 20 minutes anyway!
philadelphiaguy on March 25, 2010 at 9:23 AM #Permalink

moms calling

how about more bedside outlets and/or a usb charger instead?  

apple has a habit of making sure each new ipod is incompatible with the accessories for the earlier version; the in room 'i' trend is about 5 years past its 'sell by' date.

give me a jack-pack, a usb charger and and a empty outlet or two by the nightstand and you've won me over.

Jason Rose on March 25, 2010 at 7:56 PM #Permalink

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