Price tradeoff or sharing partnership? Understanding guest-to-guest relationships in P2P accommodation

Abstract

Current literature of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation has primarily focused on dyadic host-guest relationships while neglecting another important type of interpersonal relationship in real accommodation-sharing settings: the guest-to-guest interaction. This research aims to explore interactions between P2P accommodation guests and particularly, examine the role of other guests in shaping P2P accommodation guests’ motives and on-site experiences. The thematic analysis of interview data identified an uncertainty-interaction nexus consisting of four types of guest-to-guest relationships: price tradeoff, co-production of stimulating experiences, reticent sharing, and sharing partnership. Different relationship patterns are closely related to guests’ diverse motives for using P2P accommodation and some reflect guests’ intended collaborations and community awareness. Our findings further indicate that the relationship patterns between guests are not fixed, which can change according to the culmulation of guests’ P2P accommodation experiences and hosts’ compatibility management. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.