Chicago Hotels Fill Up Ahead of Tonight’s Obama Rally

Bill Spain reports on Election Day from Chicago. Tickets were snapped up for Barack Obama ’s rally tonight in Chicago’s Grant Park, and now rooms at downtown hotels, particularly those near the rally, are becoming scarce. “We have a sell-out,” said John Wells , general manger of the 1,544-room Hilton Chicago, which faces Grant Park. “Four years ago, we had 55% occupancy on election night.” After the announcement of the rally a few weeks ago, he said, “we literally picked up about a 500% increase in reservations.” About half are from local residents. The hotel’s suites also are fully booked, Wells said, with “some high-profile individuals” from the worlds of both politics and business settling in for a night of partying. And yes, the Hilton has been booking parties at a rapid clip though one had already been scheduled before the Obama rally was announced: a gathering of Young Republicans. The Obama campaign has been getting ready for the Grant Park event for days. Win or lose, Obama ... (link)