Originally Posted by pmaddock
Seems like the clocks must track the date to set DST. Sunday morning the one in the Doubletree I was staying at had changed itself.
On the atomic clock setting question I'll try being the apologist for this round - getting a signal can be tricky in certain circumstances. Its very likely that in many Hotels the orientation of the building and/or its construction would block the signal. It just wouldn't be reliable enough across the board.
Does it say anywhere that it will track DST if you buy one for yourself?
The thing about alarm clocks made for a hotel, unless you buy one for yourself, they're in the hotel! That means the maker might have provided a means of communication WITHIN the hotel (either by creating an atomic clock repeater, or with some proprietary system, perhaps through hotel AC wiring).
If it has the date within it, what will it do next year? (The dates change next year, assuming Congress doesn't take it back before then.) That's the danger with building it in, it assumes that it will never change.