SALEM — Earlier yesterday afternoon, John Spagnoli got an instant upgrade. Nurses wheeled him from a room he shared with another patient into his own private hospital digs with all-new furniture, free Wi-Fi, individual temperature controls, and his own bathroom and shower.

"Looks great," said Spagnoli, a 45-year-old Swampscott man who's recovering from a fall on his back. "TV looks nice. I'm hoping it gets more stations. I'm missing all the BCS bowl games."

While Spagnoli's wish for a few extra stations won't come true (the hospital gets basic cable with about 13 channels), he will be able to watch them on a brand-new, 20-inch, high-definition television.

Salem Hospital began moving patients into 32 new private rooms on two floors yesterday, part of a $30 million hospital renovation that also includes upgrades to its Breast Health Center and the intensive care unit.

In some cases, that means patients who were sharing a room with up to three other people now get their own space.

"It's more of a hotel-style stay rather than feeling like you're at a hospital," said hospital spokesman Kevin Ronningen.

Yesterday, Spagnoli didn't seem to mind trading the picturesque view of Salem Harbor from his old room for the brand-new section with shiny hardwood floors and a room of his own.

"It seems very homey in here," Spagnoli said. "Not like a hospital."

Of course, this is still very much a hospital and a place where few want to wind up. But while they're here, patients can surf the Internet for free on their laptops, and family members can sleep on the couch that pulls out to a bed.

"It's not what people typically think of when they think of Salem Hospital," Ronningen said.

Most of the patients who stay in these 32 rooms are recovering from orthopedic surgeries or neurological conditions, such as a stroke. Not unlike an actual hotel, the average stay is between three and four days.

Kathy Clune, nurse manager for the two new floors, said the individual rooms will help protect patient privacy and cut down on the spread of infection. Nurses had input into the design of the rooms, which will help them deliver medical care more efficiently, she said.

There will also be fewer instances of rooms filled with patients with wide-ranging, unrelated ailments — a patient recovering from knee surgery sharing a room with someone in respiratory distress and a confused elderly patient, for example.

There's no extra charge for the new rooms — they're the standard place for patients recovering from orthopedic or neurological conditions.

Salem Hospital isn't alone in offering the new technology, said Catherine Bromberg, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Hospital Association.

"Hospitals are making an ongoing effort to offer programs, services and amenities that are patient-focused and allow patients to continue their regular activities to the degree possible while they're in the hospital," she said.

Even if that may lead to greater expectations.

While Spagnoli was getting settled yesterday, his 85-year-old father, Louis Spagnoli, a retired Boston building inspector, couldn't resist knocking on the door to the room a few times.

"Just making sure it's solid wood," he said.