Cvent

Chicago's hospitality industry professionals were buzzing all morning awaiting the International Olympic Committee's decision on where to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Everyone was quickly silenced when the announcement was made at 10:20 AM that Chicago was eliminated in the first rounds of the vote.

Minutes after Chicago was eliminated, Tokyo was also released from the running, leaving Rio De Janeiro and Madrid as the final candidates. Chicagoans were stunned when the announcement was made, seeing that the momentum during the last week before the vote had built up quickly. With early commitments made by First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey showing their support for their hometown, as well as President Obama's decision to travel to Copenhagen, it seemed as though the vote would sway towards the Windy City.

The Chicago hospitality industry is disappointed to lose the focus on this beautiful city. They hope that the attention of being a candidate city will be enough to keep this industry moving within these hard economic times.

Daley and the Olympic Bid Team will now be faced with the decision to regroup and evaluate the bid, and decide whether or not to try and become the host city for 2020. Chicago 2016, a private organization, released a statement to thank all supporters for helping promote the city as well as raise Chicago's profile as a world-class destination.