Generation Xers--folks born between 1965 and 1980--are driving changes in the way hotel rooms look and feel. Our Savvy Traveler, Rudy Maxa, attended a Marriott general managers' meeting in Orlando this week in which room designs of the near future were unveiled, and he tells us the lines between work and sleep are blurring.

Here is what I saw as I stood in front of what Marriott calls its new "sleep zone:" A plush bed with a comforter cosseted in a crisp duvet and topped with six--count 'em--SIX pillows: two European-style, oversized ones . . . two regular-sized pillows . . . and two, smaller, oblong ones.

But lest you think these pillows mean this bed is only for slumber, check out the handy panel in the headboard with outlets for your laptop's power cord and high-speed Internet connection. And the two, spotlight reading lamps, also in the headboard.

Turns out that extensive market testing has revealed that Generation Xers want the option of working in bed. And they don't want to sit on bedspreads with floral patterns. So after years of doing battle over amenities in bathrooms, hotels are now launching the battle of the beds.

I thought the bed was for sleeping, the desk for working. But, no, the desk area now doubles as the "relaxing AND work zone." Marriott's new desks come with swivel extensions and an LCD, flat-screen TV. Soon, those TVs will allow split screens, too, so you can watch "The OC" while simultaneously writing a memo. Or playing Halo Two.

Maybe because the new rooms I saw are so warm and inviting, I don't mind the introduction of the working-in-bed concept. I especially love the panel alongside the desk that allows you to plug in your personal digital assistant, your iPod, your cell phone and lap top--all at the same time. I also love the locking desk drawer that is roomy enough for a computer--there's an idea that's years overdue.

I've stayed in my share of boutique hotels with their oh-so-hip decor that looks a lot better than it works. Now it seems the pendulum has found a comfortable place in the middle, where the entire hotel room permits comfortable resting and/or working while still looking darn good. This Baby Boomer is happy to thank Gen X for moving the hospitality industry up a notch.

From St. Paul, I'm Rudy Maxa for Marketplace.

March 09, 2005