As she daydreamed through a meeting break in another forgettable beige hotel conference room last year, Ellen Burke Van Slyke had an epiphany. The corporate creative director of food and beverage at Loews Hotels, New York City, thought a splash of color during breaks could turn staid banquet spaces into lively gathering places.

Loews has begun offering Color Breaks brand-wide, allowing meeting planners to opt for an infusion of colored lights between seminars. Each color has a corresponding snack offering as well—the blue menu, for instance, consists of blue M&Ms, blueberries and blue corn chips in matching dishes. The effect is completed with complementary floral centerpieces and color flushes on video monitors. Color Breaks are customized for each meeting experience and are sold as an addition to Loews' customary catered morning or afternoon breaks.

The goal is to make meetings more fun, of course, but also to keep attendees focused on the task at hand by keeping them in the room, with their attention at the front. “When we do this, it is fun to walk through the foyer and hear attendees say, 'Oh, I wonder what color it's going to be today,'” Burke Van Slyke says. “It creates a sense of anticipation and excitement.”