Chicago sees record-breaking hotel stays over summer, generating nearly $1B in revenue; Trump continues to bash city

CHICAGO (WLS) — New tourism numbers paint a very different picture of Chicago than how the White House is trying to portray the city, as President Donald Trump is poised to send in National Guard troops.

It comes as the Department of Homeland Security continues to ramp up its immigration enforcement efforts.

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Trump has repeatedly bashed Chicago as being an unsafe city despite crime numbers being on the decline.

New hotel numbers show a record number of visitors came to Chicago this summer.

The arrival of armed federal agents dressed in military fatigues in Chicago has at times made the city appear like it is under siege.

But 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.

“San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they’re very unsafe places,” Trump has said.

Choose Chicago says repeated comments like that from the president are frustrating.

Gov. JB Pritzker says, while Chicago could always be safer, the president mischaracterizes the city.

“I can say this, that if he visited Chicago, what he would see is, I think what many of us see, a vibrant big city, a great place for tourists to come,” Pritzker said.

Despite the tourism numbers on the rise and crime numbers on the decline, it’s not clear that will have any impact on how the president talks about Chicago.