Chicago Breaks Summer Tourism Records With More Than 3.5 Million Hotel Bookings

CHICAGO -Today Mayor Brandon Johnson is joining Choose Chicago, the City's official destination marketing organization, to celebrate Chicago's record-setting summer travel season which broke from national trends, a testament to the resilience of the City's economy and world-renowned cultural and culinary scene.

Metrics from June, July, and August 2025 show hotels in Chicago's Central Business District filled over 3.56 million room nights, a 4.3% gain over 2024, surpassing the previous record set pre-pandemic in the summer of 2019. It was a particularly strong summer for leisure travelers, who occupied 2.5 million hotel rooms, up 11.2% compared to 2024.

"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 today 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."

Revenue generated from summer hotel bookings totaled $949 million, an all-time record and 0.8% higher than last summer's total. A vital driver of Chicago's economy, the tourism and hospitality industry supports 130,000 jobs across the city.

"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 travelers 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 neighborhoods."

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.

"Chicago's record-breaking summer proves our city is open for business and driving growth," said Kenya Merritt, Deputy Mayor of Business and Neighborhood Development."This growth results in investment across our neighborhoods-further solidifying that Chicago is the place to build, grow, and thrive."

The four strongest weekends for local hotels on record all took place this summer:

• Weekend of July 19 | 92,643 room nightsdriven by NIKE Tournament of Champions at McCormick Place, BLACKPINK at Soldier Field, other events
• Weekend of August 30 | 91,559 room nightsdriven by Labor Day leisure travel, multiple major concerts
• Weekend of June 21 | 91,384 room nightsdriven by Pride Fest, American Diabetes Association conference at McCormick Place, other events
• Weekend of August 2 | 91,049 room nightsdriven by Lollapalooza, other events

Lollapalooza alone generated $480 million for Chicago's economy, a $40 million increase from 2024. In addition to $10.28 million in rent paid to the Chicago Park District, Lollapalooza is estimated to have generated $7.26 million in amusement tax revenue.Lollapalooza generated over $184.6 million in wages for local workers.

Chicago's world-class conventions, sporting-events, festivals, concerts drove a record-breaking summer at O'Hare International Airport, which welcomed more passengers in July 2025 than in any month in its nearly 70-year history. Approximately 8.26 million passengers passed through O'Hare in July-more than 266,000 passengers a day.

In the first seven months of 2025, O'Hare welcomed more than 48.3 million passengers, a 6.4% increase over the same period last year. This record-setting summer has been fueled by both connecting travelers and passengers beginning their journeys in Chicago. All ten of the busiest days ever for TSA screenings at O'Hare occurred this summer, capped by an all-time high on Monday, Aug. 4-the day after Lollapalooza-when 117,871 passengers cleared security at O'Hare.

"It's been a banner summer for O'Hare, and these record numbers are proof that Chicago continues to be one of the world's premier travel destinations," said Commissioner Mike McMurray of the Chicago Department of Aviation. "From welcoming visitors to our city to connecting travelers across the globe, O'Hare is driving economic growth and opportunity for our region while delivering a world-class travel experience."

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