Provide a simple, reliable alarm clock. Just that. I should be able to easily know the status of the alarm and have confidence that it's going to do what I need it to do -- wake me up when I set it, or not wake me up when the previous guest left it set for 4:00 AM. And sound a buzzer. I don't want to oversleep because it was set to some mood like 'chirping birds' or 'ocean waves'. If there is a radio integrated with it, make sure it has a decent tuner, not one of those where a slight twist of the wrist takes you across the entire FM spectrum.

So needless to say I just rely on my iPhone, which is usually on the floor about 15 feet away plugged into the nearest available outlet.