Abstract
Purpose This paper explores how Airbnb hosts' experiences with and responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis may differ according to their motivations to host and to the type and spatial layout of their Airbnb accommodation. Based on these insights, the paper reflects on the lessons that are learned for the future of short-term rentals. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative multi-method small-scale case study, which relies on in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion carried out with a group of hosts affiliated to the Airbnb Host Community in Aarhus, Denmark. Informed by an interpretivist approach, the study aims to make sense of people's subjective experiences with hosting on the Airbnb platform, and how they have continued and adapted their hospitality practices during the pandemic. Findings Participants' adaptive practices vary according to their motivations to host and the type of accommodation that they rent out. Although all hosts in this study now implement more intensive cleaning practices, hosts who stay with their guests onsite tend to take stricter preventative measures to avoid contamination and transmission of the virus in their social interactions with guests. On the contrary, hosts who rent out their entire properties and have minimal contact with their guests found themselves less affected by the pandemic's impacts and have had a continued demand for their properties. Social implications The COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly affected Airbnb hosts. Hosts who share their homes with guests require different adaptations to their daily behaviour and cleaning practices at home than hosts who do not stay with their guests and rent out entire properties. However, unlike professional hosts who largely or solely rely on Airbnb for their income, occasional home-sharing hosts tend to be more flexible in coping with cancelled or fewer bookings. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into the uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants in the platform economies of tourism. It contributes to existing literature on the impacts of the pandemic on Airbnb's operations by showing how hosts' adaptive practices are informed by their subjective living conditions and the type of accommodation they can offer their guests.
Highlights
Like other businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, accommodation rental platform Airbnb has been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
The first two sections discuss what has motivated hosts to participate in the Airbnb economy, and the third section considers how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on hosting practices
All Airbnb hosts in this study indicate that they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to some extent
Summary
Like other businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, accommodation rental platform Airbnb has been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Mobility bans within and between countries, lockdowns and social distancing rules have resulted in large numbers of cancelled bookings but have ensured that new bookings of accommodations have been postponed (Roelofsen and Minca, 2021). In response to the health crisis, Airbnb has made several substantial changes to its protocols, standards and digital infrastructure, suggesting that the company is shifting towards a market for mid- and long-term rentals, which can be booked under more flexible conditions (Roelofsen and Minca, 2021). Simon Lind Fischer is based at the Dania Academy of Higher Education, Randers, Denmark. Maartje Roelofsen is based at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Received 2 September 2021 Revised 11 November 2021 3 January 2022 Accepted 14 January 2022
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