Hot summer for Chicago as city’s hotels check in with record results

It was a record-setting summer for travel to Chicago, with Choose Chicago releasing hotel metrics for June, July, and August, showing that 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 totalled US $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.

Choose Chicago President and CEO, Kristen Reynolds said of the results: “Chicago is never done breaking records and never outdone as a global destination.”

And Reynolds continued: “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 US $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.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said: “Chicago remains a world-class destination for all visitors—whether for vacations, meetings, or major events. 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.”

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 10 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.

Tourism remains a vital driver of the Chicagoland economy. In 2024, the city welcomed an estimated 55.3 million visitors, generating US $20.6 billion in economic impact.

Meetings and events are a cornerstone of that impact: in 2024 alone, they generated over US $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 fall and winter seasons and ensuring 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.

Go to www.choosechicago.com for more.