Birthing rooms are the trend around here.  Two of our hospitals have birth centers that use this model.  They are very well-equipped with whirlpool tubs in the rooms.  I had my second child in one that was newly built in the two years between my children.  This wasn't a birthing room where you could stay after the child but I did stay there overnight for labor and delivery in the same room.  Then we were transferred to the maternity unit for an additional day.

My OB just transferred his practice to the other hospital and it is basically the same set-up.  So far, I've had mostly natural births-no pain meds or interventions were pushed other than pitocin as both of my babies were late and large and I wasn't going into labor on my own.   The nurses were very willing to work with me and let me labor how I wanted to labor and I had certified nurse midwives deliver both of my babies-so far 9lbs10oz and 12 lbs 3.6oz.