Hotel figures show visitors are flocking to Chicago

Chicago played host to a record-setting number of visitors during the first three months of this year.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office says there were 2.33 million occupied hotel rooms for the first quarter of 2018. That number represents an increase of more than 10 per cent over the same period last year. It also follows a year that ended with a record 55.2 million visitors.

The most recent statistics are particularly welcome in a part of the country where it is a lot easier to attract visitors during the warmer spring and summer months than it is during the dead of winter.

With eight new hotels scheduled to open this year, city officials say they expect the number of visitors to continue to climb.