“I also get to work with people I admire, like Jackée Harry, and in this one, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Telma Hopkins (who plays her mother),” she continued. “They all helped pave the way, along with the producers I’ve worked with again and again that I adore, and with the network itself. It’s just a fun intense ride and it gets me ready for the holidays. I hear so much that people love these movies and I know why they watch them all day long [at this time of year]. We all do. They’re fun and it’s nice to see something about love.”
Christmas Hotel tells the story of Erin Roberts (Ali), a corporate mover and shaker at the high-end Wyndsor Hotel chain in New York. With her sights set on a coveted position managing their upcoming Rome destination, Erin’s plans take a detour after she’s invited to open Wyndsor’s newest hotel in Garland Grove, a small mountain town renowned for celebrating the holidays year-round that also happens to be Erin’s hometown. With the locals already furious and afraid that a hotel chain will erode local business, Erin finds convincing them otherwise is problematic. And with Conner (Sean Patrick Thomas, pictured below with Ali), the brother of her childhood best friend, emerging as a major voice in the charge against the hotel’s opening, she finds it’s going to take every ounce of her ingenuity to change the minds of the townspeople. Then she hits upon an idea: Maybe turning the hotel into one that celebrates Christmas year-round could appease everyone!
“I loved the idea the movie has of community, along with the idea of creating a Christmas hotel,” Ali explained. “It showed the difference between the commercial version of Christmas and the holidays, which is something we all get wrapped up in and stressed out by, then it highlights the values [of the season]. It’s really one of the only times of the year where you can say, ‘I’m here with my family, or with friends,’ and that’s okay. We’re all used to the hustle and bustle, so to just able to spend time together is why the season is so joyous. I loved that this movie highlighted that.”