I want to invite you all to join me in one of my favorite time-wasters, err ... guilty pleasures ... as we approach the end of a busy year — Hallmark holiday movies.
Hear me out, hear me out: I'd say a solid 40% of these movies are set in hotels. Isn't that enough to pique your interest?
We've got the charming yet underfunded family-owned mountain inns, in danger of selling out to big-city private equity. We've got the bustling New York grand dames that appear to have about four personal concierges per well-heeled guest.
These mythical lodgings all have massive decorating budgets, they all host community gingerbread house-making competitions and there is always a miraculous room at the inn available for that busy professional gal who got stuck in her small town when her flight back to the city to give her big work presentation on Christmas Eve was canceled.
And honestly, you wouldn't believe just how many handsome princes from far-off yet peaceful and wealthy nation-states are staying at these hotels and inns over the holidays. They're throwing balls, too!
But I'm warning you — there will be drama. Those charming family-owned inns all seem to be drowning in debt. Instead of exploring joining a solid soft brand, though, they all seem to go the route of the private equity buyout. It definitely helps though when the firm's partner is a good-looking man. Sure, he'll clash at first with the inn owner's daughter — who secretly wants to run the place herself but lacks confidence — but she'll win him over at the gingerbread house-making competition. They'll join forces and the inn will be saved AND funded.
And the storylines set at luxurious city-center hotels have their own share of drama. Often it's over decorations. Will the staff have time to get the ballroom ready for the huge holiday party, attended by the aforementioned royal family? The storage room is in shambles and the event planner is running out of time. Thank goodness she saves the day with the help of the kind elderly bellman, whose now-deceased wife saved the antique tree-toppers. The unlikely yet adorable friendship that springs up between the event planner and the bellman is overshadowed only by the unlikely yet adorable romance she strikes with the prince.
To sum it up, these movies are outrageous and silly reminders of the joy and connection hotels can foster. That's it. That's all they need to be — enjoyable and fun.
So dive in this weekend. At least you'll get a good laugh. Email me or find me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
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