It started with a quiet deletion.
Choice Hotels International had committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs globally by 2025. Then the deadline disappeared—no roadmap, no transparency, no renewed timeline.
Mercy For Animals estimates that nearly 459,304 hens remain confined in cages in the company’s supply chain. But this wasn’t going to stay quiet.
The Backlash Begins
What began as concern quickly transformed into coordinated global action. Led by the Open Wing Alliance in partnership with Mercy For Animals, the #ChoiceHotelsChickensOut campaign mobilized across continents to demand accountability.
The message was straightforward: restore the 2025 commitment, publish a clear plan, and stop delaying progress.
Instead of fading, the issue gained momentum.
Protests, Billboards, and Public Pressure
Demonstrations took place in more than five regions worldwide. Hundreds of activists gathered outside over twenty Choice-branded hotels and corporate offices, calling on executives to reinstate the deadline.
Mobile billboards circled the company’s headquarters, broadcasting bold messages about the broken promise to employees and leadership. Wheatpasted posters appeared in major cities, ensuring the campaign was visible far beyond hotel lobbies.
The pressure extended online. Thousands of consumers flooded Choice Hotels’ social media channels with comments demanding transparency. Thousands more raised concerns in online hotel reviews. News reports amplified scrutiny, turning a quiet policy shift into a reputational challenge.
What was meant to be a silent revision became a very public reckoning.
Closed Doors, Growing Scrutiny
Campaigners sought dialogue, delivering materials and formal meeting requests to corporate global and regional offices. In several instances, executives reportedly declined to receive the packages. Outreach efforts went unanswered.
Coalition members from around the world publicly called on Megan Burghaim, Vice President of Upscale Brands and Chief Sustainability Officer at Choice Hotels International, and other company leaders to engage in conversation about the problem, but meaningful discussions failed to materialize.
For a global hospitality brand, the optics were stark: deadlines erased, doors closed, and questions mounting.
April Marks a Turning Point
Choice Hotels is expected to release their sustainability report in the coming weeks—likely around April. The campaign’s findings will be published just days before.
Will Choice report measurable progress toward a global cage-free supply chain? Will they reinstate their commitment? Or will they formally abandon the promise they once made—leaving nearly half a million hens confined in cages?
This campaign has shown that broken promises do not stay buried.
Sign the petition. Demand accountability. And make it clear that companies don’t get to put revenue before responsibility when it comes to their commitments.Inspired to make a greater impact for hens and to show multinational corporations that people hold the real power? Join us!
