Exploring the Salient Attributes of Short-Term Rental Experience: An Analysis of Online Reviews from Chinese Guests

Yuanyuan Guo,Yanqing Wang,Chaoyou Wang

doi:10.3390/su11164290

Yuanyuan Guo, Yanqing Wang + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164290

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Abstract

Although China has become an emerging market in the peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation industry, no research has been conducted to examine Chinese guests’ experience with short-term rentals. This study aims to investigate major service attributes that influence Chinese guests’ experiences and satisfaction with P2P accommodations by analyzing online reviews on the Xiaozhu sharing economy platform in China. Using text mining and content analysis method, the study found that Chinese guests who stayed in entire houses/apartments and private rooms frequently mentioned “host service,” “cleanliness,” “location and transportation,” and “living environment.” In addition, the guests who stayed in private rooms cared more about “security and privacy” and “value for money.” Those who stayed in entire houses cared more about the facilities, with a particular focus on the aspects of the kitchen. Finally, the guests who stayed in private rooms valued social interaction with the host more and left a lower proportion of negative reviews related to “host service” than those who stayed in entire houses. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese guests’ experience.

Highlights

The sharing economy, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, is driven by people’s pursuit of sustainability, economic gain, and individual enjoyment [1]
Both the customers who stayed in entire houses and private rooms exhibited fewer negative than positive emotions
The guests who stayed in private rooms left a lower proportion of negative reviews of “host service” than those who stayed in entire houses

Summary

Introduction

The sharing economy, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, is driven by people’s pursuit of sustainability, economic gain, and individual enjoyment [1]. It has aroused great interest among researchers and businesses. The fast development of P2P platforms, such as Airbnb, makes short-term rental one of the fastest growing markets of the sharing economy [4]. We focus on Xiaozhu, a representative of P2P online platform provider in China. In China, short-term rental services are found to be able to promote property sales, and have been forming a unique local characteristics [6]

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