Chicago skyline aerial drone view from above, city of Chicago downtown skyscrapers cityscape bird's view from park, Illinois, USAChoose Chicago have recently released hotel metrics from a record-setting summer of travel to Chicago. During June, July, and August, hotels in Chicago’s Central Business District filled over 3.56 million room nights, a 4.3% gain over 2024 and surpassing the previous record set pre-COVID in the summer of 2019. Revenue generated from these bookings totaled $949 million, also an all-time record and 0.8% higher than last summer’s total. This spectacular summer of travel bucked national trends and underscores the resilience of the city’s tourism sector and its critical importance to the regional economy.
“Chicago is never done breaking records and never outdone as a global destination,” said Kristen Reynolds, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “Despite the global tourism industry facing social and economic headwinds, leisure travellers and event planners continue to choose Chicago for our world-class culture, food, events, and hospitality. Our hotels and tourism partners have once again delivered an unforgettable summer season for millions of guests, further strengthening the industry’s $20 billion annual economic impact for our City and supporting 130,000 hospitality jobs across all 77 neighbourhoods.”
Chicago’s spectacular summer defied national trends, coming as the entire global tourism industry continues to face economic and geopolitical challenges. While hotel room demand in Chicago was setting records, nationwide hotel room demand was down 0.5% compared to 2024 during the summer months. Through August of this year, Chicago’s total hotel room demand is up 3.7% compared to last year, while nationwide demand is down 0.1% year-to-date.
“Chicago remains a world-class destination for all visitors—whether for vacations, meetings, or major events,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This year’s record hotel numbers show that investing in our tourism and hospitality industries creates jobs, drives economic growth, and highlights the very best of Illinois - thanks to the dedication and talent of the people who make this industry thrive.”
“Tourism is about more than dollars; it’s about pride in the city we call home,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The figures released by Choose Chicago are a testament to the incredible people who make our city shine—from hotel and restaurant workers to cultural leaders to small business owners—all of them go above and beyond to make our visitors feel welcome and make Chicago the greatest city in the world.”
The record-breaking summer of travel was driven by conventions, sporting events, festivals, concerts, and Chicago’s world-renowned cultural and culinary scene. The Chicago Department of Aviation has reported that the ten busiest days of all time in terms of passenger volume also occurred this summer. It was a particularly strong summer for leisure travellers, who occupied 2.5 million hotel rooms, up 11.2% compared to 2024. The four strongest individual weekends (Friday – Saturday) on record for local hotels all took place this summer:
- Weekend of July 19 - 92,643 room nights driven by NIKE Tournament of Champions at McCormick Place, BLACKPINK at Soldier Field, and other events
- Weekend of August 30 - 91,559 room nights driven by Labor Day leisure travel, and multiple major concerts
- Weekend of June 21 - 91,384 room nights driven by Pride Fest, American Diabetes Association conference at McCormick Place, and other events
- Weekend of August 2 - 91,049 room nights driven by Lollapalooza, and other events
“Hotels throughout Chicago are encouraged by this momentum and look forward to continuing to welcome more visitors to our amazing city,” said Michael Jacobson, President & CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “But we cannot rest on recent successes, as our industry faces a host of challenges caused by rising costs and ongoing economic uncertainty. We must remain focused on fostering a vibrant hospitality industry that allows for long-term growth, creates new opportunities for our employees, and drives investment across the city.”
Tourism remains a vital driver of the Chicagoland economy. In 2024, the city welcomed an estimated 55.3 million visitors, generating $20.6 billion in economic impact. Meetings and events are a cornerstone of that impact: in 2024 alone, they generated over $3 billion in economic activity and introduced hundreds of thousands of new visitors to the city’s cultural, culinary, and hospitality offerings.
Choose Chicago and its partners remain focused on sustaining this momentum through the autumn and winter seasons to ensure that Chicago continues to thrive as a premier global destination for leisure travel, conventions, and major events of all varieties. This announcement comes just weeks after Choose Chicago launched the “All for the Love of Chicago” campaign, encouraging residents and visitors to share their authentic experiences and stories to illustrate what the city means to them.
