Just a bed and head won't do: business travelers need a place to do their homework.

It used to be that the main thing business travelers wanted from a hotel was a place to get a good night's sleep after a hard day's work. But now that on-the-go people take their work home with them, their homes away from home must double as places to work away from work.

Modern business travelers are as likely to show up in a hotel lobby lugging laptop computers and other accoutrements of a portable office as they are toting their luggage and briefcases. And they expect to use them while they're staying there.

"Today's travelers do more work in their rooms," says Cheryl R. Hutto, director of sales and marketing at the North Raleigh Hilton. "They really want a hotel room to function as an office away from home."

"Some amenities are now in the category of necessity," says Steve Brooks, director of sales and marketing and assistant general manager of the Park Hotel in Charlotte. For example: in-room hookups for modems.

But it would be a mistake for innkeepers to think they're now in the business of leasing office space by the night. "Today's business traveler, just like in previous years, is still looking for a friendly, clean and pleasant hotel," Hutto says.

"The business traveler today appreciates those conveniences that help them do their work better as well as those amenities that make their time away from home more comfortable," she says.

"Computer data ports and fax machines in guest rooms are great. Desk space and voice mail for messages are popular," she says. But hotels can't ignore things like in-room coffee makers, hair dryers, irons and ironing boards.

As Brenda Cassese, director of marketing for Holiday Inn Four Seasons in Greensboro, notes...