Brandstand CubieTime Alarm Clock & Charger

The Brandstand CubieTime is the alarm clock and bedside charging station we recommend for short-term rentals.

We like these so much that we don’t just use them in rental properties—we have them in every bedroom in our own homes.

The reason is simple: when someone stays overnight, they get the same bedside convenience they’d expect in a good hotel room. There’s an easy-to-read clock, accessible charging, two normal outlets, and no need to crawl behind furniture looking for somewhere to plug in a phone.

It also isn’t “smart.”

There is no Wi-Fi, app, account, hub, QR code, or setup process.

And for a guest-facing bedroom device, we consider that a major advantage.

The CubieTime was designed specifically for hospitality, and that shows in details such as its single-day alarm, tamper-resistant outlets, USB charging, adjustable display, pass-through power plug, and simple controls.

It’s one of the easiest upgrades we can recommend for almost any short-term-rental bedroom.

This Is a Hospitality Product, Not a Consumer Alarm Clock

There are thousands of inexpensive clocks and charging stations available online.

The CubieTime is different because Brandstand designs products specifically for hotels and hospitality environments.

That distinction matters.

A normal alarm clock assumes the same person will use it night after night.

A hotel clock needs to assume a completely different guest may be sleeping next to it tomorrow.

That changes the priorities.

The controls need to be simple.

The alarm shouldn’t remain active for the next guest.

Charging needs to be easy to find.

The device needs to tolerate repeated use.

And ideally, nobody should ever need to contact the property owner to figure out how it works.

The CubieTime gets those basics right.

We Use Them in Our Own Homes Too

One of the best endorsements we can give a product is that we use it ourselves.

We have CubieTime units in every bedroom in our personal homes, not just in rental properties.

That way, when friends or family stay with us, they have the same convenience they’d get in a well-equipped hotel room.

They don’t need to ask where the nearest outlet is.

They don’t need to unplug a lamp.

They don’t need to crawl behind a bed.

They simply have power, charging, and a clock right next to them.

That’s really the appeal of the CubieTime.

It solves several small guest annoyances without adding any complexity.

The Single-Day Alarm Is One of the Best Features

Our favorite hospitality-specific feature is the single-day alarm.

A guest can set an alarm for the next morning, use it, and the alarm resets instead of remaining enabled every day.

That’s exactly what we want in a short-term rental.

Anyone who has stayed in enough hotels has probably experienced an alarm clock suddenly going off early in the morning because the previous guest forgot to turn it off.

That’s annoying in a hotel.

It’s even worse in your own rental because the guest may contact you about it.

The CubieTime avoids that problem by design.

It’s a tiny feature, but it’s a perfect example of why hospitality-specific equipment can be better than a normal consumer product.

Power Where Guests Actually Need It

Guests arrive with:

• Phones
• Watches
• Tablets
• Earbuds
• Laptops
• Chargers
• Other electronics

And one of the first things they do in a bedroom is look for somewhere to plug everything in.

In many homes, especially older ones, the nearest outlet may be behind a bed, hidden behind a nightstand, or already occupied by a lamp.

That’s how you end up with guests unplugging things.

The CubieTime puts two AC outlets plus USB-C and USB-A charging directly on the nightstand.

That’s a simple but meaningful guest-experience upgrade.

The Pass-Through Plug Is Excellent

One of the design details we really appreciate is the pass-through outlet on the power plug.

The CubieTime plugs into a wall outlet, but it doesn’t force you to give up that receptacle.

You can still plug another device into the CubieTime’s pass-through outlet at the wall.

That’s especially useful in bedrooms where outlets are already limited.

You’re effectively adding accessible bedside power without sacrificing the outlet you’re using to power the CubieTime itself.

It’s a small thing, but it makes installation much more convenient.

Two Full AC Outlets Are Extremely Useful

USB charging is convenient, but we particularly like having standard AC outlets directly on the top of the CubieTime.

Guests bring unpredictable equipment.

They may have a laptop charger, CPAP machine, phone charger, camera battery charger, or something else entirely.

A standard electrical outlet works with nearly everything.

Having two accessible outlets at the nightstand means the guest doesn’t need access to the original wall receptacle.

That can also help reduce one of the most common little problems in rentals:

Guests unplugging your lamps or other equipment because they need somewhere to charge a device.

Adjustable Display Brightness

Bedroom clocks can create another problem:

They’re sometimes way too bright.

The CubieTime gives the guest control over the display brightness and allows the clock display to be dimmed substantially or turned off.

Some guests want to see the time during the night.

Others want the room completely dark.

The CubieTime works for both.

Again, no instructions or app are required.

It Doesn’t Always Keep Perfect Time

This is one drawback we’ve noticed during long-term use.

The CubieTime doesn’t always keep perfectly accurate time indefinitely.

We’ve seen some units drift by a few minutes after a couple of months.

It’s not a major issue, and it hasn’t changed our recommendation.

But it does mean that someone should occasionally glance at the displayed time and correct it if necessary.

For most rental properties, that’s an easy task for the owner, cleaner, or property manager during normal property checks.

Still, we wish the clock held its time a little more precisely over longer periods.

Automatic Daylight Saving Adjustment Helps

The CubieTime can automatically adjust for daylight saving time.

That removes one of the other common maintenance tasks associated with normal alarm clocks.

Twice a year, you don’t want every clock in every rental bedroom suddenly displaying the wrong time.

Automatic DST adjustment helps minimize that problem.

It’s not perfect protection against the gradual time drift we’ve observed, but it does eliminate the need to manually change the clock every spring and fall.

Built for Hospitality Use

We like using products that were designed for the environment they’re actually going into.

Hotels are tough on equipment.

Guests come and go constantly.

Things get moved.

Drinks get spilled.

Buttons get pressed.

Devices get unplugged and plugged back in.

That environment isn’t very different from a busy short-term rental.

CubieTime includes hospitality-oriented features such as tamper-resistant outlets, surge protection, spill testing, and a security clamp.

We’d rather have equipment designed around those realities than a cheap consumer alarm clock that happened to have a USB port.

It Helps Stop Guests From Unplugging Your Lamps

This may be one of the most practical benefits.

If the only outlet next to the bed is occupied by your lamp, eventually someone is going to unplug the lamp so they can charge a phone.

Then they check out.

The next guest arrives.

The lamp doesn’t work.

Now you have a maintenance issue that isn’t actually a maintenance issue.

Providing easy bedside power prevents that problem.

The guest has no reason to touch the lamp because everything they need is already accessible.

Those are exactly the little friction points we’re always trying to remove from a rental.

Cost Is the Main Downside

The CubieTime costs more than a generic alarm clock or inexpensive charging station.

There’s no getting around that.

You can buy something that shows the time and provides USB charging for much less money.

The question is what you’re paying for.

With CubieTime, you’re getting:

• Hospitality-oriented design
• Single-day alarm behavior
• Two accessible AC outlets
• USB-C and USB-A charging
• A pass-through wall outlet
• Tamper-resistant receptacles
• Surge protection
• Adjustable display brightness
• Battery backup
• Automatic DST adjustment
• Security mounting
• Commercial-style construction

For us, that’s worth paying more.

We want something we’re comfortable putting in a bedroom and leaving there for years.

CubieTime vs. a Generic Charging Station

The CubieTime isn’t necessarily the cheapest way to get power onto a nightstand.

Generic charging stations may provide more USB ports or more powerful charging for less money.

But that’s not really what we’re buying here.

We’re buying a hospitality bedside device.

The difference shows up in little details.

The single-day alarm.

The pass-through outlet.

The security clamp.

The tamper-resistant outlets.

The adjustable display.

The fact that it doesn’t require an app.

Individually, none of these features is revolutionary.

Together, they make the CubieTime particularly well suited to guest bedrooms.

Who Should Buy the Brandstand CubieTime?

We recommend CubieTime for rental owners who:

• Want easy bedside charging for guests
• Want standard AC outlets on the nightstand
• Want both USB-C and USB-A
• Don’t want to sacrifice the wall outlet powering the device
• Want an alarm that resets for the next guest
• Prefer simple, non-smart guest-facing technology
• Want to reduce guests unplugging lamps and other equipment
• Prefer hospitality-grade equipment
• Don’t mind paying more for a purpose-built product

It’s also an excellent addition to guest bedrooms in your own home.

That’s exactly how we use them.