A Suite Holiday Romance is a quintessential Christmas movie in every sense of the word. We have a swanky New York hotel, a writer who lands a fantastic holiday job with her own suite at said hotel, a chance encounter, a charming British suitor, and a touch of royalty.
Fortunately, we also get all of that. And we get it through one of the most fun narrative devices: mistaken identities. Sabrina Post (Jessy Schram) is a writer who has been offered her dream job: writing the memoirs of Grayson Westcott, a famous art dealer. The job includes a hefty salary and a stay in her own suite at the iconic Grand Fairbanks Hotel in New York City.
Director: Jeff Beesley
Writer: Andrea Canning
Stars: Jessy Schram, Dominic Sherwood, Adam Hurtig
Meanwhile, Ian Turner (Dominic Sherwood) is a handsome British visitor she meets at the hotel bar. Ian thinks she's another wealthy guest. She thinks he's a member of the British aristocracy, instead of what he actually is: the personal secretary to Lord Spencer Braxton, who is in town to oversee the installation of an exhibition of the Braxton Royal Jewels at the Avalon Museum.
It sounds simple, and in a way it is. But it's simple in a good way, like the best Christmas movies. Schram and Sherwood have great chemistry as Sabrina and Ian, and Sabrina embodies the best of Christmas romantic comedy heroines: that sense that the magic of the season can and will make your life better.
Of course, Christmas can't solve all problems, but it tries! And in A Suite Holiday Romance, the holidays serve as the backdrop for Sabrina and Ian to get to know each other, even though each thinks the other is someone different. Ironically, despite the mistaken identities, Sabrina and Ian learn a lot about each other, to the point that we can say they know each other on a deeper level, even if some basic things are being concealed.
The film invites us to ask ourselves: what's more important? Who you are on the inside, what you believe, what you dream, or what you project to the world? And while, of course, for these two to have a happy ending, they have to be honest with each other, perhaps at that moment they already knew what truly mattered. And while I don't recommend starting any relationship with a lie, especially one so big, as a foundation for a romance, in this case, it works.
Perhaps it's because everything Schram does works, whether she's playing Hannah Asher on Chicago Med or Sabrina Post here. Perhaps it's because Schram and Sherwood are so convincing as two people getting to know each other despite not knowing the most basic things about one another. Or perhaps it's because A Suite Holiday Romance embraces all the clichés of Christmas romantic comedies and makes us feel like magic truly exists during the holidays. In any case, this movie left us with a smile, and that's all you can ask for.
A Suite Holiday Romance is now available to stream on Hallmark+.
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