Abstract
PurposeThis paper aims to explore the components of a negative memorable Airbnb experience.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies of North American and British nationals were conducted online using an open-ended survey questionnaire with photo-elicitation via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The grounded theory was used to analyse the collected data.FindingsThe findings of the current study are destination-specific and generalisation is limited. In addition, this study gathered data using an open-ended survey questionnaire with visual images (photo-elicitation technique) in MTurk. Moreover, the study participants were mainly Westerners.Research limitations/implicationsAirbnb could provide hosts with a service quality checklist to warrant quality assurance across listings. Hosts must be informed, guided and monitored so that service quality standards are fulfilled. In addition, hosts should be incentivised to write an honest and accurate description of their listing.Practical implicationsAirbnb can provide hosts with a service quality checklist to ensure standardisation and quality assurance across listings. Hosts must be informed, guided and monitored so that service quality standards are fulfilled. In addition, hosts might benefit from training or workshops on the role of hosting and service quality management.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to explore the components of a negative memorable experience in the context of Airbnb.
Highlights
According to Kim et al (2012), a memorable tourism experience (MTE) is one that is positively recalled after the event
The findings indicate that when an Airbnb guest is provided with poor accommodation; experiences rude, deceitful or unpleasant behaviour from the host; or is offered poor customer service by the company itself, he or she is more likely to have a negative memorable experience
The findings support studies indicating that the physical environment, in this context, the room conditions (Cheng and Jin, 2019; Huang et al, 2020) and favourable hosting behaviour (Cheng and Jin, 2019; Lalicic and Weismayer, 2018; Sthapit, 2018b; Sthapit and Jimenez-Barreto, 2018a, 2018b) are considered crucial for guests while staying in Airbnb rental properties
Summary
According to Kim et al (2012), a memorable tourism experience (MTE) is one that is positively recalled after the event. Because emotional stimuli with both positive and negative valence contribute to the memorability of an event (Kensigner and Corkin, 2003), negative experiences should be considered potential MTE components. Service failures are inevitable in the hospitality industry and can occur in both the process and outcome of the service delivery (Lewis and McCann, 2004) These services have an inherently inconsistent nature; guests can always develop adverse feelings, such as anger and frustration, during tourism experiences (Kim, 2014). In a recent unfortunate incident, a 51-year-old woman from New Mexico was sexually assaulted by her Airbnb host during her stay (Levin, 2017) Such horrific experiences are always possible and generate negative memorable Airbnb experiences, which are the focus of this study
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