Chicago Gets New Tourism Chief as City Rebounds From COVID, Hotel Occupancy Lags

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has appointed a new tourism chief, picking Lynn Osmond to head the city’s Choose Chicago agency. 

The role has taken on added prominence after COVID’s decimation of tourism not only in Chicago but nationwide.  Said Lightfoot: “As the city continues to see a rise in tourism, Osmond’s intimate knowledge of this city will ensure that we will continue to safely encourage and delight those who come to Chicago for work or play.”

 Officials and colleagues were quick to point out the deep history Osmond has with Choose Chicago and the Chicago tourism and hospitality community. They say this means Osmond will hit the ground running. Osmond comes to the Choose Chicago job from the Chicago Architecture Center, where as president and CEO she oversaw a revamp and expansion of what has always been a major tourist attraction: the city’s heritage as the birthplace of the skyscraper.

Chicago is facing multiple threats when it comes to filling hotel rooms right now: winter weather, stricter COVID mitigations and crime in the city, according to the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association.

And out of all the major cities tracked by the association, Chicago currently ranks dead last in hotel occupancy.