WHERE THE HOTEL RADIO & ALARM CLOCK STUCK AROUND AND OUTLASTED THEIR USEFULNESS.

IS IT A POORLY DESIGNED RADIO OR AN ALARMING CLOCK, OR JUST A FLASHING BEACON IN THE NIGHT, OR ALL OF THE ABOVE ?

Before the intrusion of televisions and the multi media age where most if not all visitors travel with connections to all the world's radio stations, two or three electronic devices that also serve as alarm clocks and their full library of personal music, radios or as they were known then, wirelesses were a must. In fact a luxury. But that was then and this is now!

The radio, during the war was a lifeline. It was the news. It was our entertainment and it left huge gaps open to the senses and imagination which was an important ingredient if one wanted to listen to a play and make it into one's own personal cinema. If you wanted news, radio or the wireless, was it. It still is if you are in the car..........but in a hotel?!!!!

Then someone invented an alarm clock which placed the responsibility on the sleeper to turn it on and turn it off. If they missed their plane or their early morning appointment, tough luck.

Then some engineer decided to combine them so that they could fit on a hotel's bedside table.

However, other engineers were designing ways in which entertainment could be delivered via television, computers, Blackberries and Apples. Others were designing alarm systems which started with huge clocks with multiple levers for each 15' for telephone operators to record the wake-up calls which morphed into a 'gotcha' system where we could call you and later could prove that you fell asleep after our call was made.

Then other energy experts came along and figured out a way of turning off the power in your room while you were out, thereby sending all alarm clocks into the '1200' flashing mode. I might also add here that at around this time, they decided to hard-wire these contraptions to the power so that they can not be yanked from the wall when the alarm goes of at 4.30AM.

So now when you you check into a room, you have a choice.

1. Set the clock to the time of day so that it stops flashing. You do not need this function since you have a watch. It is there only in case you lost it.
2. Set the alarm to a time that is after your departure. This ensures that the 4.30AM alarm will be neutralised. The next guest can worry about the setting later.
3. Check that the radio button is not on AM, FM, ON, ALARM or REC. For this you will need a magnifying glass because they have perfected the downsizing of all the buttons.
4. In some models, the OFF button is separate from all other buttons, perhaps even on the side. In most models, the OFF is so close to the next one that it is impossible to know the truth.
5. Set the volume level to LOW because when it comes on, and it will, you do not want to have to deal with it in the dark and when you are half-asleep.

6. ..................I said you have a choice. If the above does not work, sever the cord with nail-clippers because in all likelihood, airport security confiscated your scissors or Swiss Army knife already.

Which brings me to my main point.

When will our industry put sufficient pressure on the electronics industry to organise the sound systems of the television, the radio, the telephones and our laptops so that a quality sound product is delivered to our hotel rooms and bathrooms?

Two three inch speakers in a flat screen TV, two two inch speakers in a plastic alarm clock radio and a hand held telephone do not match the setup of a typical customer's home system, let alone his kids.

And what is more important than quality entertainment time in a hotel room to a business or leisure traveller?

For more important advice on the real connection between Hospitality and Entertainment, contact [email protected]