Since our hospitals are run like business (we don't do private and government) the maternity ward serves like an advertisement. Most rooms now adays are LDRP rooms (labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum) So for a vaginal delivery you are only in one room. They know that young women usually only go to the hospital for maternity, and they can use that as a way for young families to start using their services. Maternity is usually one of the better wards. It is in ours. I would send anyone for maternity, but everyone I know who has been sick has died. They're stupid on other floors.
They do the typical hospital menu because they know maternity patients aren't sick, and don't need diet restrictions. At our hospital all rooms are private and have pull out beds for partners to sleep in. This usually depends on the size of the hospital though.
Sorry to ramble but it fascinates me how the systems are so different here and there. People are always talking that we need to have some type of universal healthcare in the US, and It's interesting to think about how services would change both for the better and the worse if we did.