Lollapalooza ushers in best weekend of the year for downtown hotels, but business travel remains sidelined – Chicago Tribune/MSN

Downtown hotels got off to a great start this summer; Occupancy surpassed 78% in June, a big jump over last June, when lingering COVID-19 worries kept most rooms empty, but below the 88% recorded in June 2019. And for the week ending July 16, occupancy hit 83.3%, the highest number in three years. “We’re still lagging 2019, but we’ve made major headway,” industry consultant Stacey Nadolny said.