One of the small luxuries that used to be available in most hotels was the personal wake-up call. Remember when the hotel clerk would ask you when you checked in, “Would you like a wake-up call?” Most major hotels offered this service. The next morning, right on time, you’d get a call from a real live person who woke you up with the words: “Good morning, (Mr. Jones or Miss Jones) this is your wake-up call.” And then you’d decide whether to go back to sleep or not. That task, like everything else, is now assigned to computers. Fewer hotels offer a personal wake-up call. These days, many people use their cell phones as their alarm clocks, so the idea of a wake-up call seems outdated.

But there are a few high-end hotels that still advertise a personal wake-up call that is guaranteed to get y…