Security Failure Exposes Sensitive Data at Major Hotel Chain Staff Reports February 23, 2026 10:58 am Business, Tourism, Travel In Brief: Who: Choice Hotels franchisees and applicants; Edelson Lechtzin LLP; Marc Edelson What: Data breach involving unauthorized access to sensitive personal information When: Discovered on or about January 14, 2026; investigation announced February 20, 2026 Where: Choice Hotels system; company headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland Why: Potential exposure of names and Social Security numbers, prompting a class action investigation A national class action law firm has launched an investigation into a January data breach involving hotel franchisor Choice Hotels International, Inc., according to an article posted by GlobeNewswire. Edelson Lechtzin LLP announced on February 20 that it is investigating potential data privacy claims after Choice Hotels learned on or about January 14, 2026, that a hacker had gained unauthorized access to a system containing sensitive franchisee and applicant information. The company, headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, reported that the attacker used deceptive methods to bypass security safeguards — including multifactor authentication — before accessing certain internal files. Choice Hotels said it detected the intrusion and took steps to restrict further access before launching an internal investigation. According to the law firm’s statement, compromised files may include personally identifiable information such as names and Social Security numbers. Edelson Lechtzin LLP said it is exploring a potential class action lawsuit to seek legal remedies for individuals whose sensitive personal data may have been exposed. The firm is encouraging anyone who has received...
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