June 23--The Grateful Dead reunion concert over July Fourth weekend has made Chicago the nation's top travel destination and has been a bonanza for city hotels, with bookings more than doubling over last year and room rates rocketing, according to Orbitz Worldwide data, released Tuesday.
It's no secret that Chicago hotels have long been sold out for Independence Day weekend. It's normally a top summer travel weekend anyway, but demand jumped with the scheduling of the Grateful Dead concerts July 3, 4 and 5. The Dead shows are expected to draw 70,000 fans each night to Soldier Field.
Orbitz said that on those three days, Chicago hotel bookings are up 122 percent over last year, and hotel rates are up 77 percent, to $340 per night.
One example: The average room rate during Fourth of July weekend at the Inn of Chicago is $584, Chicago-based Orbitz said. That's far higher than for another summer holiday weekend, Labor Day, when the rate at the same hotel is $186.
Many hotels have a minimum length of stay for that weekend, but those that don't have "extremely high" room rates, Orbitz said.
The good news for out-of-town Deadheads? Airfares didn't climb with hotel rates. The average airfare to Chicago for that weekend is $396, down 3 percent from last year, Orbitz said.
Ticket reseller Stubhub says 86 percent of people attending the Chicago shows are traveling from outside Illinois.
Single-day ticket prices for the Chicago shows are averaging $862 each but have been posted for as low as $154, Stubhub said.
After Chicago, the top U.S. destinations for July Fourth weekend are Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas, Orbitz said.
gkarp@tribpub.com
