SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, a recent tragedy in which a young woman lost her life in the walk-in freezer of an area hotel calls into question the effectiveness of safety standards in hotels; and
WHEREAS, video surveillance footage of her last moments shows a young woman traversing what appears to be non-guest areas for a significant amount of time with no hotel employee attempting to impede her tragically final path; and
WHEREAS, with similarly relaxed surveillance standards, any hotel guest—particularly one with an impairment due to age, medical condition, or other causes—is at risk of taking a wrong turn and encountering harm in a walk-in freezer, pool, terrace, rooftop, industrial laundry facility, loading dock, or any other area that should be off limits to anyone not having business to conduct in such parts; and
WHEREAS, an individual with ill-intent could similarly access such restricted areas and jeopardize the safety of guests and workers alike; and
WHEREAS, Chicago's status as a major national destination for tourism, business, and conventions feeds a thriving hotel industry; and
WHEREAS, Chicago offers more than 130 hotels and 42,000 hotel rooms in its central business district; and
WHEREAS, the number of hotel guests and the varying reasons for them being there—be it celebratory, business, or otherwise—necessarily makes it incumbent upon hotels to limit their general access areas in order offer better security for both general access and restricted zones; and
WHEREAS, the members of this City Council seek to ensure that this City's residents and guests find in our loc...
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