By Dean Evans, Technology Writer

In a post on The Points Guy blog [1] covering the 2021 Americas Lodging Investment Summit, Liam Brown, Marriott Hotels group president for the US and Canada, talked about how the hotel chain has been re-evaluating the guest experience. 

Faced with challenges that range from a staffing crisis to providing a more cost-effective breakfast, Marriott wants to focus on more practical needs and services for guests. "It’s been a wonderful opportunity to look at some of those things that are historic in nature and have no application in terms of the real life we live in today," Brown said. 

• Hotel technology trends to watch in 2022 (and beyond)
• Why phone charging stations are a smart investment for hotels
• View Brandstand’s range of hotel alarm clocks

It seems the average hotel alarm clock falls into this category. The no-frills clocks you find in some hotel rooms are horribly outdated and often hard to use. Many guests simply unplug them so they don’t get woken up by a previous occupant’s alarm. As for the clock radio, it has all but fallen out of fashion. It's no wonder that many hotel guests would rather use their smartphones as alarms instead.

The reinvention of the alarm clock

So, alarm clocks have had to change. They have needed to offer more. Not in terms of projecting the time onto the wall or adding the ability to brew you a morning coffee. Those are gimmicks that don’t add any real value. Today’s alarm clocks need to include features that deliver an improved guest experience that, in the words of Liam Brown, aligns with the “real life we live in today."

That life is one where people rarely leave home without their smartphones. According to Statista [2], there are 6.4 billion smartphone users in the world (translating to 80.63% of the global population). It’s a figure that’s projected to reach 7.5 billion by 2026. As each of those phones can act as an alarm clock, rather than fighting against change, modern alarm clocks like the Brandstand CubieBlue have embraced it.

You might not use the CubieBlue as an alarm clock, but it’s handy to have a digital clock in a hotel room so that guests can easily see the time.

You might not use the CubieBlue as an alarm clock, but it’s a convenient way to keep a multitude of electronic devices charged. The CubieBlue features two tamper-proof power sockets (US/UK/EU models available), a pair of USB Type A charging ports and the latest USB Type C interface. This reliable power and charging functionality means that guests can juice up five different gadgets at the same time, all via a single guest room wall socket.

You might not use the CubieBlue as an alarm clock, but you might use it to stream your favorite music. The CubieBlue stacks its alarm clock functionality on top of a stereo Bluetooth speaker (with passive bass radiator) for easy audio streaming. Designed specifically for hotel use, the speaker won’t remember a previous guest’s device details.

Hotel alarm clocks should all have this feature

And if you do use the CubieBlue as an alarm clock, you’ll find that it has a dimmable display, auto-update functionality for daylight saving time, is easy to program (no manual required) and features a Single Day alarm. This last feature means that a 6am alarm set by a hotel guest on Tuesday isn’t saved and won’t inadvertently wake the next occupant up on Wednesday. All alarm clocks should have one.

Like all of the hotel alarm clocks in the Brandstand range, the CubieBlue is more than just an alarm clock. It has been designed and developed with the practical needs of guests and hospitality operators in mind. To find out why thousands of hotels around the world have already bought one, download the infographic below.

Click here to view/download CubieBlue - More Than Just An Alarm Clock (PDF).

Other posts you might like:

• View Brandstand’s range of hotel alarm clocks
• Why phone charging stations are a smart investment for hotels
• Hotel technology trends to watch in 2022 (and beyond)
  

References:
[1] https://thepointsguy.com/news/marriott-leaders-alarm-clocks-alis/
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/