From hospitality to children’s hospital – a ‘Legacy’ of care

Matthew Day

Staff

December 16, 2024

GREEN BAY – Luxury and charity – two seemingly incongruous concepts – have cozied up under one roof this holiday season. 

Through Dec. 20, Legacy Hotel Green Bay (1004 Brett Favre Pass) has partnered with HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital to host a community toy drive.  

General Manager Susan Engler said all community members – including, but by no means limited to Legacy guests and patrons – are invited to donate unwrapped gifts in the hotel’s lobby to distribute to children in need and those hospitalized during the holidays. 

Engler said Legacy – which she describes as “a luxury hotel, but very comfortable” – is a natural fit for the gift drive. 

“Luxury, to me, doesn’t necessarily equate to profit or price… (it) means an experience,” she said. “We offer the luxury experience, and when you’re working with a charitable effort or connection it’s, again, (about) the experience.” 

This season, Engler said the goal is to help patients (and by extension, their families) at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital experience holiday joy. 

“It’s about the people here giving back to the community,” she said of the toy drive. “Legacy associates and the Legacy owner want to make an impact.” 

Community driven

Engler said she has served as general manager of Legacy since Vicki Fabry, majority owner, opened the hotel in early 2024. 

“It was one of her visions to build a hotel and give back to the community of Green Bay,” Engler said of Fabry. 

The tight-knit team at Legacy fosters a culture of sharing ideas, Engler said, and its independent ownership enables the hotel to follow through at will, with no need for external, corporate approval. 

Such was the case, she said, with the December toy drive. 

“It came from an associate within that had a connection with the (HSHS St. Vincent) Children’s Hospital,” she said. “It was just an idea that it would be a nice connection, and Vicki loved it, so we went with it. All the good ideas come from your associates.” 

With a few phone calls to the Children’s Hospital, Engler said the toy drive was formalized, representing an expression of gratitude as Legacy looks back on its first year. 

“I hope to promote kindness and giving in a society that seems a little rough these days,” she said. “It’s like we have to remind each other to be nice and kind and giving. The holiday season of giving kind of re-centers us. It should be a rudder in our life to be kind, and I think when you remind people and give people the opportunity to be kind and giving, it’s always a good outcome. So, if we can do that here, through our messaging and through our efforts, to remind our guests of that – why not?” 

Engler said all are encouraged to drop off gifts or monetary donations to Legacy’s lobby, where signage is posted to inspire and remind guests and patrons. 

Though the toy drive is focused on supporting and involving the community rather than the hotel itself, she said she sees a perfect connection between charity and her line of work. 

“The hospitality industry is a caring industry,” she said. “We serve people. It’s that emotional connection that we have in hospitality that is so wonderful.” 

While giving back, Engler said the community can also immerse themselves in the holiday spirit with exclusive offerings, including:

• The Christmas Wheel of Fortune – which includes instant rewards and registration for a chance to win the grand prize staycation at Legacy Hotel
• Festive Cocktails – holiday-themed drinks at the unCommon Lobby Bar or Cardinal’s Crest Rooftop Gastropub

More inside

Engler said the hotel itself offers more than 100 boutique rooms, all classified as suites. 

“Each room is uniquely designed in residential furniture, (so) that it feels like your own home,” Engler said. “(Legacy features) personal appointments that are different from room to room. It’s an upgraded, residential furniture environment that is personally appointed, versus a (hotel) chain.” 

Legacy is a full-service hotel, she said, featuring room service, a fitness center, a spa, a coffee and juice shop, a lobby bar, a restaurant and a rooftop gastropub. 

By offering these options on-site, Engler said part of the goal is to accommodate traveling professionals. 

The hotel’s food and drink outlets are open to the public, she said, and regularly feature live music and events everyone can enjoy, however casually. 

“We want to provide a vibrant social scene to the community,” Engler said. “When people think of a hotel, they think of just the rooms, right? We have so much going on here every day of the week. You don’t have to stay here to enjoy all that.” 

Though connected to the Wyndham global hotel brand, Legacy is independently owned – something Engler said she has especially appreciated during the course of her extensive career in hospitality. 

“Being an independent is, in my experience, a more intimate and unique experience to the guest than a hotel chain experience,” she said. “When you’re staying at a boutique hotel, your expectation is at a higher level of friendliness and service – more specialty than you would get at a chain hotel where they have to follow a mold.” 

At independent hotels, Engler said the staff, management and ownership share a “special connection… that you’re part of a family.” 

“The ownership here (at Legacy) is here every day, so they are actively involved,” she said, “which ties to the connection with the community they live in.”