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For the past several years our preferred hotel chain, whenever we’re on the road has been Hampton Inn. Clean, up to date rooms and a good breakfast. All for an affordable price.

Last Saturday night we checked into the Hampton Inn in Cincinnati. As I was sitting there having a beer, I noticed the clock on the bedside table was missing. My first thought was that the previous guest had stollen it from the room.

I went down to the front desk to report it. The guy said “we’ve removed the clocks in all of our hotels. It’s a corporate decision by Hilton. We want all of our guests to have their best room experience. We’ve determined that having a clock in the room makes the room appear outdated. Nobody uses a clock anymore. People just use their phones.”

I told him my phone is on the kitchen wall and it doesn’t display the time. Even if it did show the time, I wouldn’t be able to see it from three hundred miles away.’

The guy offered to give me a wakeup call in the morning.

Looks like I’ll have to start carrying my own clock with me when I travel. I’ll need to book a room on the first floor. Might be a little awkward trying to carry a grandfather clock up in the elevator.

I've traveled a lot post covid, and for the life of me, I can't tell you if any of the places have had a clock. It does seem outdated.

Matt wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:18 pm

I've traveled a lot post covid, and for the life of me, I can't tell you if any of the places have had a clock. It does seem outdated.

A clock comes in handy when you want to know what time it is.

As I type this on my phone, I can see that the time is currently 9:25. Very convenient.

Matt wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:25 pm

As I type this on my phone, I can see that the time is currently 9:25. Very convenient.

So when you wake up in the middle of the night in a dark room and you want to know the time, you just fumble around to find your phone? Seems a lot easier just to glance at the clock beside the bed.

I've seen little wind up or battery clocks meant for travel in antique stores. Some of them even have a little backlight. I'm sure you'll be able to find something to tell you the time while traveling.

I just spent 6 days at a Hampton Inn down in West Palm Beach. It had a clock. Plugged my phone into the USB port on it to charge it every night. Hell, I spent 13 nights in one in Scottsdale back in January and that one had a clock too. I think this is a hotel decision and not a corporate one.

Motown322 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:38 pm

I just spent 6 days at a Hampton Inn down in West Palm Beach. It had a clock. Plugged my phone into the USB port on it to charge it every night. Hell, I spent 13 nights in one in Scottsdale back in January and that one had a clock too. I think this is a hotel decision and not a corporate one.

We stayed at two different Hampton Inns on our way to Florida in January. They both had clocks in the rooms. Really good clocks with a display on the front and on the left and right sides too.

But some new marketing whizz has decided the clocks have to go'

There is a store near our place in Florida that liquidates old hotel furniture and accessories. The next time we're in Florida I'll see if I can get one of those nice clocks from Hampton Inn.

I don't travel too much, other a day trip here and there. I'm more of a homebody. Yeah, they have removed clocks from most motels, mainly because people just use there phones for an alarm clock, heck even a cheap flip phone has an alarm clock on it these days.

I believe the last motel I stayed in was a Motel 6 in Parkersburg WV about 2 years ago. They do sell small travel size digital clocks that run on a battery. Perhaps maybe people were just stealing them and they got tired of having to get new ones all the time.

My parents tend to like Hampton inn's when they travel.

The actual owner of that particular Hampton Inn was probably not Hilton itself. Most likely the so-called corporate decision to dump clocks / clock radios was made by the franchise owner.

I feel pretty confident in guessing that the Hilton corporation doesn't care one way or the other what their franchisees decide to do with bedside clocks.

They used to have smoking and non-smoking rooms. The guest could request their preference'

Now they could have clock and no-clock rooms. Anyone who felt embarrassed or offended by seeing a clock in their room could request a room with no clock

It's a personal preference. They could keep a couple alarm clocks at the front desk. In room telephones are likely gone next.

I haven't stayed in a hotel since 2019. I'm more worried about the key working and no bedbugs than if they have an alarm clock.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:12 pm

They used to have smoking and non-smoking rooms. The guest could request their preference'

Now they could have clock and no-clock rooms. Anyone who felt embarrassed or offended by seeing a clock in their room could request a room with no clock

I believe Kentucky still has smoking and non-smoking rooms.

SD45 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:28 pm

It's a personal preference. They could keep a couple alarm clocks at the front desk. In room telephones are likely gone next.

I haven't stayed in a hotel since 2019. I'm more worried about the key working and no bedbugs than if they have an alarm clock.

I never use the clock as an alarm clock. I just like to see waht time it is.

Some hotels have stopped placing Bibles in the rooms because having a Bible in the room offends some guests. I don't know why that is. It's usually tucked away in a drawer. Nobody forces them to read it. They now keep Bibles at the front desk for anyone who requests one.

The Hampton in we were at had both a Bible and a Book of Mormon in the room. Neither of them offended me. But I would have liked to have a clock in the room.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:47 pm

SD45 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:28 pm

It's a personal preference. They could keep a couple alarm clocks at the front desk. In room telephones are likely gone next.

I haven't stayed in a hotel since 2019. I'm more worried about the key working and no bedbugs than if they have an alarm clock.

I never use the clock as an alarm clock. I just like to see waht time it is.

Some hotels have stopped placing Bibles in the rooms because having a Bible in the room offends some guests. I don't know why that is. It's usually tucked away in a drawer. Nobody forces them to read it. They now keep Bibles at the front desk for anyone who requests one.

The Hampton in we were at had both a Bible and a Book of Mormon in the room. Neither of them offended me. But I would have liked to have a clock in the room.

I can understand all that. It drives me nuts at night not knowing what time it is, if I wake up. I'm atheist/pretty strong agnostic but a Bible doesn't offend me whatsoever nor does the book of Mormon. Likewise for The Torah or The Quran.