Hedonic consumption pathway vs. acquisition-transaction utility pathway: An empirical comparison of Airbnb and hotels

Abstract

• Investigated Airbnb and hotel experiences. • Theorized and tested two distinct experience evaluative pathways. • Compared the pathways for Airbnb and hotels. • Five conceptual relationships differed significantly between the two groups. • Partially supported the mediating effects of customer satisfaction and memorability. While customer values associated with experience have been studied extensively in the hospitality literature, research comparing Airbnb and hotel experiences remains sparse. By identifying two distinct pathways, a hedonic consumption pathway and an acquisition-transaction utility pathway, this study investigates the effects of hedonic value and utilitarian value on two important underlying constructs. Two studies were conducted concurrently: Study 1 empirically assessed theoretical relationships among the constructs with an Airbnb customer sample, and Study 2 examined the proposed model with customers who stayed at hotels. A comparison of these studies indicated that five conceptual relationships differed significantly between the Airbnb and hotel groups, and the relationships in the hedonic consumption pathway were stronger for the hotel sample. Findings also revealed mediating roles of customer satisfaction and memorability. This study contributes to research and practice by empirically testing and comparing evaluative pathways of Airbnb and hotel experiences.