DOUBLETREE BETHESDA—“How can you tell if a meeting is successful?” asks Michael McMahon, GM of the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Bethesda, Maryland. “I believe the real measure of success is if people actually gain the knowledge presented during the meeting and can use it in the field,” he says.

To this end, with help from behavioral psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Turner, McMahon concluded that reducing analytical activity in a person’s brain to stimulate the creative side actually makes him/her less anxious and more receptive to learning. So what does all of this have to do with meeting breaks?

“We came up with something called Intellectual Breaks,” explains McMahon. “When people come out of the meeting rooms, they’re greeted with sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and hands-on props to stimulate creativity.”

In the Comics Break, for instance, comic books and newspaper funnies are laid out for attendees’ perusal, and a character such as Batman, Superman, or Popeye mans a food station with treats to match his persona. Popeye sautés spinach in front of a spinach dip or spanakopita offering, Batman offers “batwings” (buffalo wings), and Superman offers various forms of kryptonite (think green).

The Puzzle Break features a giant, four-by-eight-foot Statue of Liberty jigsaw for folks to put together, while a Frank Sinatra character serves up New York City street food such as chicken on a stick, hot dogs, and soft pretzels. “We also play Frank Sinatra concerts on flat screens in the break area,” McMahon adds.

Attendees migrating from their meeting rooms to the Toy Break find radiocontrolled cars, big wheels, checkers, board games, and other bits of childhood nostalgia. Meanwhile, an Elvis impersonator cooks his beloved grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

“Since ‘The King’ had scads of toys all over Graceland, we thought it fitting that he host the Toy Break,” McMahon says. “Plus, the peanut butter and banana sandwiches are a hit. We would hear about it from our clients if we ever took them away!”

The best part about the breaks is that they’re free—well, almost free. Guests hosting their meetings at the Doubletree pay for total meeting packages that include continuous break service from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with Executive Meeting Center break stations that are loaded and refreshed with treats like pastries, bagels, candies, fruit, ice cream, chips, and 17 different beverage types.

“Our themed breaks are an added bonus to the break service, at no extra charge,” says McMahon. “They’re an investment in our clients’ success, which is an investment in our own.”

KAHALA HOTEL & RESORT— The Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu is literally making a splash with new themed meeting breaks, especially since one of them involves the watery antics of an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. The aptly named Splash! Break is a 30-minute meeting respite that takes place at the Kahala’s own 26,000-square-foot natural lagoon.

“A dolphin behaviorist brings one of the resort’s six resident dolphins up close for attendees to touch, while giving a short lesson about them,” says Stuart Kotake, director of catering and conference services, who developed the break over a year ago. The accompanying ocean-inspired menu includes inventive treats like Maui Fish Hooks (hook-shaped parmesan cheese breadsticks), Chocolate Scallops (chocolate-filled cream puffs), Crab Rangoon with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, Caviar Parfaits (candied dried fruits and tapioca pearls), and Sand Dollars (shaped snickerdoodle cookies).

“We have a lot of fun decorating for this theme,” Kotake adds. “Tables feature glass buoys, fish nets over linen, divers’ helmets, coral—all sorts of nautical props.”

Another break is the Gifts of Hawaii Break, featuring a hula lesson by a Hawaiian “Aunty” (an elder who is an authority on a Hawaiian craft or cultural experience). The Aunty leads meeting attendees through basic hula movements as well as the traditional Hawaiian art of chanting.

“People really get into this one and sometimes are brave enough to demonstrate what they’ve learned. It’s a real tension breaker,” says Kotake. Hawaiian specialties on the menu are Maui potato chips and taro chips, guava chiffon cake, haupia (coconut milk-based gelatin), chocolate- dipped macadamia nuts, dried pineapple and mango, banana-strawberry and orange-pineapple fresh fruit smoothies, Island Iced Tea (passion orange juice mixed with tea), and Kona coffee.

“Our other two breaks,” Kotake says, “are health based. We have one geared toward fitness and one toward relaxation, and our menus go well beyond energy bars and trail mix.”

During the Chi Energy and Fitness Break, the resort’s fitness trainer gets attendees moving with simple stretches and a tutorial on the body’s pressure points. Peppermint-scented towels are handed to attendees, who are then treated to energy-building bites like homemade granola bars enhanced with Lehua honey; oatmeal cookies with raisins, cranberries and macadamia nuts; peanut butter nut bars; fresh fruit tarts with low-fat pastry cream and highfiber crust; fresh fruit smoothies, and chai tea.

In the Spa-tacular Break, attendees leave their meeting rooms and walk through a refreshing mister while tantric bells chime in the background. “Massage therapists work on hands or necks, and it’s surprising how many people line up for their turn,” says Kotake. Attendees find a refreshing display of petite key lime tarts; fresh fruit with fruit coulis; lemon squares and Linzer tortes; biscotti and tea cookies; and antioxidant parfaits layered with dark chocolate mousse, blueberries, and blackberries.

With extras like these, meeting planners might assume the price tags are prohibitive, but Kotake objects. “The break menus can always be adjusted to accommodate budgets, but the activities don’t cost much at all. They are all products of tapping into our own resources, so clients’ pockets aren’t affected.”