When you’re getting ready to book a hotel room, you’re just looking for a good night’s sleep, right? But how well will you be able to sleep, knowing that the pillow you’re resting your head on may have caused the suffering and even death of ducks and geese? If your hotel uses down pillows and comforters, it’s a sure bet that birds paid a high price for your stay.

Down feathers either are plucked from the bodies of birds who were killed for meat or foie gras—or are torn from the skin of living birds, which causes them considerable pain and distress. Undercover video footage obtained by PETA shows workers grabbing and carrying geese by their delicate necks or by a single wing. The frightened birds are squeezed, upside down, between workers’ knees while the workers rip out fistfuls of feathers. One worker was photographed sitting on a goose’s neck in order to prevent her from escaping.

Once their feathers have been ripped out—exposing raw skin—many birds lie on the floor, bleeding and shaking. Birds are frequently plucked so violently that they are left with gaping wounds. When this happens, workers use a needle and thread to sew up the wound—without any painkillers.

What You Can Do

When you’re booking a hotel room, make a point to ask if the hotel uses down bedding. If it does, ask the manager to follow the example of the Marriott-owned chains Moxy and AC Hotels, which have gone completely down-free and use only corn-based materials and other synthetics instead of feathers from abused birds. In fact, Marriott has reduced its down use from 100 percent to 50 percent, so if you’re booking a stay at any other Marriott hotel, including Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Renaissance, be sure to ask for a room with vegan bedding.