Stacy Koenig ’88

Stacy Koenig ’88, Case Investigator at Public Consulting Group, shares with us what is means to be a Hotelie for Life^®.

“For me, being a “Hotelie for Life” took an unusual turn when the world stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A stay-at-home mom for 20 years, I was trying to go back to work in the hospitality industry. A hard enough hurdle after 20 years, but even harder when the industry was turned upside down due to the pandemic. What could I do from my house that could help? I took a remote job as a Contact Tracer for the New York State Contact Tracing initiative, quickly shifting to become a Case Investigator.

In a nutshell, I talk to sick people to try to stop the spread of Covid-19. As a Case Investigator, I get to talk to people from all walks of life. My Hotelie skills come into play every day as I treat each person as I would a guest in a hotel, offering empathy, kindness and compassion as I walk them through what to do to properly isolate and protect their families. I also need them to tell me truthfully where they have been and who they have seen. As you can imagine, some people do not wish to tell a stranger their recent whereabouts over the phone.

I truly believe my hospitality skills have helped me get people to open up to me. I can happily report that the amount of people who have refused to talk to me is very low. Hopefully, my efforts will help the hospitality industry get back on its feet and I can get back to the industry I love.”