Chicago's City Council has voted to increase hotel taxes to the highest in the US, creating a Tourism Improvement District and raising the hotel tax on rooms within that district to 19%. This is the highest for comparison with Los Angeles' rate of 14.75%. The new tax will remain in place for at least five years and apply to hotels across 14 districts. The money will be used to aid marketing efforts for Choose Chicago, the city’s convention and tourism agency. However, social media users have criticized the decision, suggesting it will make it more expensive to visit Chicago to attract more visitors.