Reviving True Hospitality at The Legacy Hotel and Event Center

The Legacy Hotel and Event Center is envisioned as a boutique, experience-driven property built around what owner Bruce Schafer calls “true hospitality.” Rather than leaning into contactless check-ins and stripped-down service, the Monroeville project aims to revive the full-service mode where guests are greeted at the door, bags are carried, fresh coffee is delivered at a requested time and the staff is trained to focus on the details.

“We want people to have a refreshing experience,” Bruce says.

A little over a year ago, Bruce and his daughter, Gloria Schafer, purchased the former DoubleTree Hilton with plans to redevelop it into a mixed-use destination. The hotel will operate as the Legacy Hotel, a Trademark brand by Wyndham, with renovated guest rooms, luxury living spaces on upper floors, office and workspace areas, a spa, and expansive banquet facilities.

Central to the concept is a partnership with Bistro To Go. Rather than “recreating the wheel,” Bruce said the goal is to bring Bistro in to manage the entire food and beverage operation. That includes banquets and catering, which are already underway in the renovated ballrooms, as well as the restaurant and, eventually, room service once the hotel fully opens. The Schafers describe the plan as having Bistro “take over all of the food and beverage in the hotel.”

Events have already started to fill the calendar, including a 300-person gala and partnerships tied to Steel City Con and other local businesses and events. For the Schafers, however, the defining feature isn’t just scale, it’s service. As Gloria put it, what people remember most is how they were treated. Their hope is to make that level of care part of the region’s hospitality landscape once again.