New hotel numbers show a record number of visitors came to Chicago this summer.
Choose Chicago, the city’s official marketing organization, says there’s a more accurate portrayal of the city if you look at all the visitors that have come to Chicago this past summer.
“And when you see those visuals, globally, of that many people having a great time safely enjoying themselves under the beautiful setting of the Chicago skyline, you can’t argue with that. That is a beautiful visual,” Choose Chicago President and CEO Kristen Reynolds said.
And hotel occupancy figures in the central business district back that up.
Choose Chicago reports people booked 3.56 million rooms from June through August, generating $949 million in revenue. Both are record numbers.
All that was driven by major events, including Lollapalooza, the downtown NASCAR race and numerous large-scale concerts at Soldier Field this summer, as well as a host of conventions.
“It’s really important right now, I think, especially for Chicago, to have positive news to tell, and to remind our residents, our visitors, people that just love Chicago, what Chicago is really about. So, we’re excited that these numbers show that people are still coming to Chicago,” Reynolds said.
