‘Autumn At Apple Hill’ Movie Ending Explained And Recap: Did Elise Sell The Inn At Apple Hill?

Autumn at Apple Hill is yet another over-the-top sweetness-filled Hallmark movie about two independent people coming together and falling in love. They lift each other from their lowest point to help them become a better version of themselves in a few weeks. Directed by Séan Geraughty, the movie stars Erin Cahill and Wes Brown as the leads.

Spoilers Ahead

What was the history of the Inn at Apple Hill?

Autumn at Apple Hill begins with Elise Jacob’s voiceover as she describes how the Inn at Apple Hill in the town of Landover came into the possession of her grandparents. Grandmother Hannah and Grandfather Charles were known to have built the inn from scratch, and it slowly grew into the legacy of their family. Elise was born in the inn, and growing up, she realized how important the place was for her grandparents. After their deaths, Elise’s goal was to keep the place running. Ever since her divorce, she has made it her passion project to restore the place to its former glory with the help of a bank loan. Sadly, the bank could not offer one as they weren’t expecting good profits from the place, as its foundation and structure were slowly crumbling. 

Why was Luke asked to step away from work?

Luke Bellwether was the CFO of his and his mother’s hospitality company, Bellwether Holdings. His mother, Donna Bellwether, learned from the employees that Luke was overworking, which forced many in the office to follow his lead. He was about to close a deal to acquire a hotel group, but his mother asked him to step away from his work. He tried to convince her to let him stay, but she had to remove him from the project and make him take a sabbatical as it would help him recuperate for some time. Luke was not keen, but since his mother owned the company, he had to follow her orders accordingly. 

How did Luke want to spend his free time?

Luke had a lot of free time on his hands, so he decided to call his best friends, who owned a tavern in the town of Landover. Luke informed them about his plan to spend his free time in town and about wanting to stay at the inn at Apple Hill. He had a memory of staying at the inn during his parents’ divorce, and around that time Elise’s grandparents owned and managed the place. 

Was Elise angry at Luke?

Luke checked into the inn at Apple Hill in no time, while on the other hand, Elise was struggling to keep the place running because of a lack of funds and occupants. On learning Luke owned Bellwether Holdings, she made sure he did not have a good time at the inn. She assumed he was in Landover to purchase the property from her. Even though Luke was determined to stay at the inn, Elise went out of her way to keep him out of inn-related activities, and Luke was quick to pick up on her animosity towards him. He tried to clear the air, but in vain, as Elise was hell-bent on getting him out of the town. 

How did Luke and Elise patch up?

Elise learned from Jared, an old friend, that Luke was her senior from high school. She could not recognize him, as he had returned after many years. Jared shared the reason behind his return to Landover, and Elise decided to patch up with him. On conversing with him, she shared her concerns regarding the inn. She conveyed she was on the verge of closing it down as she had no money with which to renovate the place. 

What was Luke’s plan to save the Inn at Apple Hill?

Luke had a lot of memories attached to the inn and wanted to help Elise save the place. He suggested the inn host a Halloween party that her grandparents conducted fifteen years ago. Elise was not sure if it was feasible, but Luke suggested to ticket the party to get enough profit to make the inn eligible for the loan. Elise was not sure if the plan would work, but Luke decided to get on the party bandwagon and save the inn. 

Did Elise get the photograph Luke was looking for?

As Elise and Luke got into getting the work going for the party, Luke, in passing, mentioned a photograph of him and Jared from their school hockey days that was on display in their old school. Luke was not sure the new school would have the picture, and neither he nor his friend had a copy of it. Elise was touched by Luke’s attachment to the town, and she went out of her way to get the photograph for him. This indicated Elise could be falling in love with him, and he was touched by her gesture. 

Was the Halloween party a success?

As the Halloween party was nearing, Elise was raising concerns and thought it would not work out and she almost cancelled the event. She realized the electric panels in the inn wouldn’t be able to handle all the lights that had to be put out for the event. Luke went out of his way to get generators for the inn, and that saved the day. The decorations too were done on a barter basis as they got help from the local centers. Luke made sure to promote the party via newspapers and social media as well. Norah, Elise’s friend who helps her run the inn, got her in touch with an application that would manage the bookings. 

Norah was a shy woman, and she had a crush on the local electrician, Chuck. Assuming he was married, she chose to keep distance. Through Luke, she and Elise learned that the woman who lived with Chuck was his sister. Chuck and Noah soon confessed their love for each other and began to spend time together. Chuck also showed up at the party as a show of support for her and Elise. The Halloween Party was a huge success, as the entire community of the town was happy with the arrangements made by Elise and her staff at the inn. The food was supplied by Jared and Candace’s Tavern, which showed the helpful nature of the town. Luke’s mother showed up in town asking for his help to close a deal, but she was overwhelmed by the work he and Elise had put in to save the inn at Apple Hill, a long-lost memory which she cherished as well. 

What were Luke’s plans?

The Halloween party held at the inn was a huge success, yet Elise and Norah could not cut the mark, and the money they made was not enough to get themselves a loan for the renovation work. Luke, on the other hand, was planning to leave town and head back to New York City. This was the first time Luke showed disinterest in working for the company and the reason could be the last few weeks he spent in Landover with Jared, Candace, and Elise. Luke, for the first time, may have realized he was not cut out for mergers and acquisitions. He enjoyed his time working with Elise, Jared, and Candace and wanted to continue doing the same kind of work as it fulfilled him as a person. 

Luke had a fair share of good times with his mother working in the city, but he realized his heart remained in doing the community work and being in a small town. This change of heart, followed by a transition from the city to a small town, was a good one, and his plan did not seem sudden. Luke finally decided to give up his position at Bellwether Holdings and let his mother take over the company. This was the right thing to do, as he was overwhelmed by the amount of work he’d been doing, and how it cost him a lot of time in his life. He may have found several reasons to be in Landover that led to him taking a major life decision. He offered financial aid to Jared and Candace and offered to work with them and expand their tavern. Jared was elated by his decision as he would be working with his best friend, and he agreed to get Luke on board.

Did Elise sell the inn at Apple Hill?

Elise, on the other hand, was upset at the thought of closing down the inn, which was the last legacy of her grandparents. She tried to keep it up and running for as long as she could, but she never had the financial backing to do so. Even though Luke tried to go out of his way to help her revive the place, the emotions of the locals were high on the night of the Halloween party because of the memories attached to the inn. She did not want to take money from Luke, as it would not be right to do so. Elise, after her divorce, wanted to make the inn her project, and she had hoped it would help her get back on her feet. So far, nothing worked in her favor, and as a courtesy, she planned to meet the bank manager. To Elise’s shock, the bank manager was happy with the turnout at the inn for the Halloween party. He said the event brought together the entire community of the town, something he did not expect would happen. 

The bank manager was happy to know an inn was able to give the town a sense of belonging. Elise was surprised when the bank manager was willing to sanction the loan based on her ability to bring together people from her town. This felt convenient and over the top, as bank managers really don’t make any decisions based on emotions. Since this is the story of a small town, decision-making based on sentiments was expected. The makers wanted to project people from small towns as being good-hearted. 

Autumn at Apple Hill ended with Elise and Luke meeting each other soon after they received the happiest news of their lives. Luke was planning to stay back and work with Jared while Elise got the loan she was seeking. It seemed the universe truly conspired for them to be together. Elise and Luke confessed their love; this was the beginning of their relationship. The last scene of the movie had Luke getting the arcade game for Elise at the newly improved Inn at Apple Hill. This was a call back to how both first met when Luke came back to town. The arcade game bonded them for life even though this time they were supposed to beat the high score set by Chuck and Norah. All was well in Landover for Luke and Elise.