Airbnb Users Research Articles

How coolness drives Airbnb users’ behavioural intention: findings from asymmetric and symmetric approaches

ABSTRACT A brand’s perceived coolness enhances its appeal and can be crucial to brand success. Building on the model of goal-directed behaviour (MGB), this study investigates how the perceived coolness of Airbnb, influences consumers’ behavioural intentions regarding the platform. The proposed hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The study sample consisted of 557 U.S. travellers who had had an Airbnb accommodation experience in the past six months. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was subsequently employed to uncover the causal configurations of consumers’ desire and behavioural intentions toward Airbnb. The PLS-SEM results demonstrated the critical role of perceived coolness in influencing one’s desire and behavioural intentions toward Airbnb. The fsQCA findings suggested that causal configurations inform consumers’ behavioural intentions toward Airbnb across generations. Anticipated emotions applied to all configurations. This study extends the relevant literature by incorporating perceived coolness into the MGB model in the Airbnb context. Findings also contribute to the literature by revealing causal configurations via fsQCA. Airbnb providers should seek to develop and enhance the four identified facets of perceived coolness. The consumer market should also be classified generationally. The roles of anticipated emotions cannot be ignored.

Discovering satisfaction attributes among Moroccan Airbnb users: an innovative approach

ABSTRACT This study addresses gaps in understanding accommodation satisfaction on Airbnb, focusing on Morocco as a representative of an important but unexplored region. It introduces guest count as a control variable and explores both linear and non-linear factors affecting satisfaction. Analyzing Airbnb reviews from 2013 to 2023, it emphasizes geographically-dependent determinants and variations in relevance based on host numbers. Non-linear links reveal overlooked factors, enhancing understanding beyond linear approaches. Accompanied by explanations, tables, and illustrations, the study aids Airbnb stakeholders in improving services.

Explore How to Refine Social Media Marketing Strategies and Shape Consumer Travel Preferences: An In-depth Study on Airbnb

In a post-COVID-19 era of digital transformation and a gradually recovering tourism economy, the travel industry must continually seek innovative ways to enhance social media marketing strategies and better understand consumer behaviour. This paper provides insights into how social media marketing strategy optimisation can shape consumer travel preferences. Using Airbnb as a case study, this paper analyses the social media comments of Airbnb users to reveal consumers' overall positive attitudes towards Airbnb's services through sentiment analysis and explore how methods such as predictive analytics can be used to tailor social media marketing campaigns to provide a more personalised and effective service to potential travellers. The results show that consumers are very concerned about whether the service experience differs from what is advertised on social media, such as quality of accommodation, customer service and pricing strategies. Therefore, Airbnb should prioritise consumer feedback, improve social media content quality, and use predictive analytics to identify its target audience. Future research should incorporate diverse data sources and advanced analytics techniques to understand consumer needs better, establish stronger customer connections, and influence travel choices.

Understanding the influence of a host’s guest perceptions on sharing intention on the airbnb platform: A signaling theory perspective

Today the sharing economy, involving the online sharing of under-utilized assets with unknown others, has increasingly become a prevalent e-commerce business model. While numerous studies have explored determinants of a guest’s booking intention in the sharing economy, little attention has been given to what drives a host to accept a booking request from a guest. A host endeavors to gather and assess information about a guest to decide whether to accept a request, and ultimately, a host's perceptions of a guest are likely to impact their willingness to share accommodation online. This study investigates the impact of a host's perceptions of guests on their intention to share an unused property with an unknown guest. It aims to present and test a conceptual model of accommodation sharing by examining the effects of a guest profile and guest reviews on a host's trust in a guest and, subsequently, on a host's intention to share accommodation based on signaling theory. This research collected data from 270 Airbnb users, aged 20 to 70, using an online survey on Amazon MTurk. The results indicated that a host's trust in a guest was positively affected by perceived guest favorability from guest reviews and perceived credibility from guest profiles. However, the perceived fit between a host’s guest preferences and the portrayed guest identity did not have a significant effect on trust. Furthermore, it was found that trust in a guest had a positive relationship with sharing intent but a negative relationship with perceived risk. Based on the results, this study offers practical as well as academic implications and suggests directions for future research.

Recommend or not: A comparative analysis of customer reviews to uncover factors influencing explicit online recommendation behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation

In the fiercely competitive landscape of the peer-to-peer accommodation platform Airbnb, understanding customers’ online recommendation behavior is essential for optimizing competitiveness and harnessing the potential of electronic word-of-mouth. This study aims to provide comprehensive insights into the factors driving customers’ issuance of positive or negative recommendations based on their experiences. Leveraging 10,101 online reviews from Airbnb users, we employ the Structural Topic Model to determine latent topics relating to customers’ recommendation intentions. This study reveals that positive recommendations are primarily influenced by hedonic values tied to the overall experience, including crucial aspects such as convenience for exploring points of interest, local authenticity, social interaction, and emotional fulfillment. These findings highlight the significance of providing memorable and enriching experiences to elicit positive reviews from customers. On the other hand, negative recommendations are closely linked to utilitarian values focused on practical concerns such as check-in procedures, cleanliness, comfortableness, and amenities. Understanding these utilitarian factors is vital for hosts and platform administrators to improve service quality and address potential issues that may lead to negative reviews. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the significant role of hosts in shaping both positive and negative recommendations. This research contributes valuable insights to the field of peer-to-peer accommodation, highlighting the significance of various factors influencing customers’ recommendation behavior.

UTJECAJ PERCIPIRANE KVALITETE USLUGE NA NAMJERE PONAŠANJA KORISNIKA U PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) SMJEŠTAJU

In this study, the focus was on exploring the attitudes of Airbnb users in Croatia. The primary goal was to investigate the impact of perceived service quality on users' behavioral intentions, with a particular emphasis on user engagement as a mediating variable. The significance of comprehending the concept of perceived service quality was highlighted, as it can aid in improving service design and development, enhancing service quality, and promoting user engagement, intention to reuse and positive recommendations. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 327 respondents to assess the impact of perceived service quality, expressed through technical, economic, and social categories, users' behavioral intentions, and whether this influence is mediated by user engagement. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS Amos 23.0 software. Our findings indicate that service quality's technical, economic, and social categories directly and positively affect the behavioral intentions of users in peer-to-peer accommodation. Moreover, user engagement was found to mediate between service quality categories and users' behavioral intentions. This suggests that users prefer the security, functionality, trustworthiness, ease of use, financial benefits, advanced information about prices, satisfaction, connection with other users, and the possibility of exchanging experiences, comments and suggestions for improvement, leading to repeated use and recommendation of the service.

Exploring the relationship between trusts, likability, brand loyalty, and revisit intentions in the context of Airbnb

研究目的协作消费由于其快速增长而引起了研究人员的关注。 基于文献中对于认知、情感和意向与协作消费之间的因果关系, 本文调查了 Airbnb 背景下品牌忠诚度和重访意图的驱动因素。研究设计/方法/途数据是通过在线调查从 399 名 Airbnb 用户那里收集的。 PLS-SEM 用于检验假设。 中介测试通过多重中介分析进行。研究发研究表明, 客户对房东和 Airbnb 的信任增强了品牌喜爱度, 从而提高了满意度、品牌忠诚度和重访意愿。 此外, 满意度通过品牌忠诚度的全面调节影响重访意愿。究原创性然已有文献从消费者的角度讨论信任并将其分为两种类型, 但信任对品牌好感度的影响从未被检验过。 基于认知、情感和意向之间的因果关系, 本文首次调查了平台和房东的信任作为品牌好感度的关键驱动因素, 从而提高了 Airbnb 背景下的客户满意度、品牌忠诚度和重访意愿。

Interfacing the space of flows and the space of places in the platform society. Ten years of Airbnb in Florence

Drawing on Manuel Castells' inspiring concepts of space of flows and space of places (1996), we argue that digital platforms play the key role of an interface, a medium, between the space of places and the space of flows. Indeed, digital platforms can be considered as network orchestrators, managing flows of data and information which are produced by users and distributed globally by means of the platform itself. In order to demonstrate how the interfacing process operates on urban space, we investigate the Airbnb platform by applying Castells' ideas. The contribution develops a spatio-temporal analysis of 12,126 georeferenced listings (accommodations) and 651,515 reviews left by Airbnb users on the platform from 2010 to 2019 in Florence (Italy). Listings and reviews act as an echo chamber for the space of flows and forge specific places that accommodate the requirements of the Airbnb community. Furthermore, the progressive transformation of private apartments into nodes of the global tourism network creates an increasingly fragmented spatial array combining globally connected portions of the city and geographically contiguous but unconnected spaces. Such a process is geographically uneven and reproduces well-known patterns of value concentration where symbols create a virtually-forged urban reality, destined to mimic the place projected in the platform.

Exploring users’ continuance intention towards a peer-to-peer accommodation sharing platform

研究目的本文以点对点住宿共享为重点, 研究了感知价值对使用具有三元关系的平台所涉及的满意度（交易和体验）和持续使用意图两个维度的影响。研究设计/方法从 392 名 Airbnb 用户处收集调查数据, 并使用结构方程建模的偏最小二乘法 (PLS-SEM) 进行分析。研究发现感知价值的所有维度对基于交易的满意度都有显着影响。象征价值对满意度没有显着影响。基于交易和体验的满意度对持续意向有显着影响。研究意义/局限性研究结果强调了感知价值维度对理解点对点住宿环境中的客户满意度和持续意图的不同影响。该研究仅关注共享经济的一个部门, 即点对点住宿部门。研究原创性该研究对点对点住宿环境下的价值感知和持续意图之间的关系提供了新的见解。

Exploring changes in guest preferences for Airbnb accommodation with different levels of sharing and prices: Using structural topic model.

Online reviews have become an important source of information for investigating customers' consumption experiences in academic studies. In the context of sharing economy-based accommodation, various studies have been conducted to investigate the user experience of Airbnb by analyzing online reviews; however, most previous Airbnb studies had focused on analyzing the user experience of Airbnb at a holistic level without distinguishing the accommodation attributes of Airbnb. Therefore, this article aimed to investigate how the preferences revealed by Airbnb users in online reviews vary across Airbnb listings with different levels of sharing and price ranges. This study analyzed 181,190 online reviews under Airbnb listings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using the structural topic model (STM). This study identified 21 topics related to Airbnb service and product attributes. The findings show that Airbnb users who stay at entire property are more concerned with the hedonic value of their stay, while those who stay at shared property are more concerned with the utilitarian value. The purposes of the host-guest interaction were also found to differ between these two types of Airbnb accommodations. Regarding the effect of listing prices on users' preferences, findings reveal that those staying at lower-priced rooms were more concerned about the convenience of exploring the surrounding area, while those who stayed at higher-priced rooms were more concerned about the surrounding environment and the interior facilities of the property.

A greener way to stay: The role of perceived sustainability in generating loyalty to Airbnb

The sustainability potential of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation sharing will not be fully achieved until sustainability is fully understood as a motivating force. This study examines the influence of perceived sustainability and familiarity on loyalty intentions with platform trust and satisfaction as mediators and age as a moderator. An online survey with 507 UK Airbnb users found that perceived sustainability and familiarity are effective drivers of consumers’ loyalty in relation to Airbnb, alongside the mediators of platform trust and satisfaction. In addition, the effect of perceived sustainability on platform trust is greater among younger users, which feeds further to satisfaction and consequently loyalty. This timely study adopts an integrative approach which recognises the interplay of sustainability, familiarity, trust and satisfaction in predicting loyalty intentions for P2P accommodation. This can, in turn, help to unlock the potential of P2P accommodation to deliver more sustainable outcomes for people, places and the planet.

Understanding Vietnamese consumers’ perception and word-of-mouth intentions towards Airbnb

研究目的本文旨在全面了解越南消费者的感知价值, 并探讨其结构、满意度和 (e) 对 Airbnb 的口碑意图之间的关系。此外, 还研究了传统口碑（WOM）和电子口碑（eWOM）之间的关系。研究设计/方法/途径应用电子调查收集越南 Airbnb 客人样本的数据。共收集问卷 352 份, 剩余 163 名符合条件的 Airbnb 用户进行数据分析。 SEM 的偏最小二乘法用于分析数据。研究发现调查结果表明, 货币、功能和享乐方面的好处显着影响越南客户对 Airbnb 住宿的满意度, 这反过来又在鼓励客户的 (e)WOM 给予意图方面起到直接作用和中介作用。此外, 传统口碑意向对网络口碑给予意向有正向影响。研究原创性/意义本研究提供了对影响客户满意度的客户感知价值及其对 Airbnb 的 (e)WOM 意图的更好理解。其次, 它通过确认传统和 eWOM 给予意图之间的正相关关系, 从信息传播者的角度扩展了关于 WOM 意图的文献。最后, 本文揭示了东南亚（越南）快速增长市场中共享住宿的见解, 从而为共享住宿平台和服务提供商制定适当的营销策略提供支持。

“Home away from home” in pandemic times: how has COVID-19 changed the Airbnb market in Melbourne?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and changed Airbnb market in the Greater Melbourne area in terms of its temporal and spatial patterns and identify possible shifts in underlying trends in travel activities.Design/methodology/approachA panel data set of Airbnb listings in Melbourne is analysed to compare temporal patterns, spatial distribution and lengths of stay of Airbnb users before and after the COVID outbreak.FindingsThis study found that the COVID disruption did not fundamentally change the temporal cycle of the Airbnb market. Month-to-month fluctuations peaked at different levels from pre-pandemic times mainly because of lockdowns and other restrictive measures. The impact of COVID-19 disruptions on neighbourhood-level Airbnb revenues is associated with distance to CBD rather than number of COVID cases. Inner city suburbs suffered major loss during the pandemic, whereas outer suburbs gained popularity due to increased domestic travel and long stays. Long stays (28 days or more, as defined by Airbnb) were the fastest growing segment during the pandemic, which indicates the Airbnb market was adapting to increasing demand for purposes like remote working or lifestyle change. After easing of COVID-related restrictions, demand for short-term accommodation quickly recovered, but supply has not shown signs of strong recovery. Spatial distribution of post-pandemic supply recovery shows a similar spatial variation. Neighbourhoods in the inner city have not shown signs of significant recovery, whereas those in the middle and outer rings are either slowly recovering or approaching their pre-COVID levels.Practical implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted short-term rental markets and in particular the Airbnb sector during the phase of its rapid development. This paper helps inform in- and post-pandemic housing policy, market opportunity and investment decision.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to empirically examine both temporal and spatial patterns of the COVID-19 impact on Airbnb market in one of the most severely impacted major cities. It is one of the first attempts to identify shifts in underlying trends in travel based on Airbnb data.

The Effect of Airbnb Users' Regret on Dissatisfaction and Negative Behavioral Intention.

As the most successful platform for peer-based accommodation sharing, Airbnb has transformed the lodging industry into something much more affordable and accessible for travelers on a budget. Compared to a hotel stay, however, its variability of facility and service has created guests' negative emotions such as regret and dissatisfaction. These emotions may cause stress, which negatively affect mental health. Therefore, we explore the factors that influence Airbnb guests' regret, and investigate the relationship between their regret, dissatisfaction, and negative behavioral intention. Structural equation model is utilized on a total of 456 U.S. consumers to examine the relationship among Airbnb users' responses. The findings indicate that price perception influences regret and dissatisfaction the most. The study also reveals that regret has a positive correlation with dissatisfaction, while does not have an influence on switching intention and negative word of mouth. Based on the result, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

When Love Takes Over: Boosting Love Towards Airbnb Brand

The COVID-19 epidemic affected all industries, but the hospitality sector was hardest hit as governments used social distancing to prevent outbreaks. Based on the insights of relationship theory, before social distancing became an essential behaviour spread globally, this study attempts to understand what factors influence love for Airbnb brand, how they are linked together, and how love for Airbnb brand could be beneficial to local business/market. This research focussed on 9 in-depth interviews with Airbnb hosts and 3 focus groups with 13 experts from short-term rentals companies in Prague (22 participants). The outcome of this study provides insights on love towards Airbnb brand, and based on this, it set a start point for deeper, beneficial connectivity between Airbnb users and local community. This research contributes to the expansion of literature about love towards Airbnb brand, its dimensions, and its main outcome. This study suggests that brand identity, communication and branding activities, service attractiveness, guest experience, perceived cultural value, satisfaction and reputation are dimensions of love towards Airbnb brand and have as main outcome love towards local community.

The impact of value co-creation behavior on customers' experiences with and loyalty to P2P accommodations.

This study explores the impact of customers’ value co-creation behavior on their experiences with and loyalty to P2P accommodations. We propose a theoretical model integrating two lines of tourism research: customer value co-creation and customer experience. To extract the dimensions of customer experience and test the proposed model, 34 in-depth interviews were conducted along with a survey of Chinese Airbnb users. Structural equation modeling and mediation analysis were implemented to assess relationships involving customers’ value co-creation behavior, experience, and loyalty. Results indicate that customer citizenship behavior directly influences loyalty. In particular, relationships involving customers’ participation behavior and citizenship behavior with loyalty are both mediated by customer experience. Relevant implications and future research opportunities are discussed.

‘Belong anywhere’: Focusing on authenticity and the role of Airbnb in the projected destination image

AbstractThere is little research that analyses the contribution of tourism‐related digital platforms, and particularly Airbnb, to the creation and projection of international destinations' images. This study seeks to address this gap by developing a content analysis of the Airbnb Guides to more than 500 global urban neighbourhoods (globalhoods). We analysed Airbnb users' descriptions posted in the period following the Great Recession up to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Content analysis shows how Airbnb projects the images of these globalhoods through a narrative based on creating a perception of authenticity but that finally projects a commodified image of destination identities and their communities.

Beyond Airbnb. Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in P2P Accommodation in Time of COVID-19

As the P2P (peer-to-peer) accommodation market is expanding, there is a growing interest in the factors affecting customer satisfaction. The previous literature largely concentrates on Airbnb users and tends to use online questionnaires as research data. To address this gap, we analyze the key attributes affecting customer satisfaction in the P2P accommodation market in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, based on onsite research. This will allow the authors to examine the key determinants of customer satisfaction across many platforms. Based on previous research, a conceptual model was developed, and two dimensions of service quality were created: host service quality and facility service quality. An offline primary survey was conducted, and the model was tested using exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The empirical results show a strong relationship between host service quality and facility service quality and customer satisfaction. This study provides clear theoretical insights to advance our knowledge about the determinants of customer satisfaction. Our results are in line with previous research, despite the survey being conducted during the first year of the pandemic and with the use of offline questionnaires. Furthermore, this study offers practical implications for both peer-to-peer and institutional market actors.

Travellers’ loyalty toward Airbnb: the moderating effect of relative attractiveness of the reward program

ABSTRACT This study investigates the drivers of Airbnb users’ loyalty. Data were collected from 343 individuals and were analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results showed that accommodation price reasonableness, accommodation variety, website efficiency quality, and online review information quantity have effect on loyalty. Furthermore, the attractiveness of the reward program negatively moderates the impact of website efficiency quality on loyalty. The study contributes to the literature theoretically by developing and testing a model that goes beyond destination- and host-related factors by considering the influence of attributes specific to Airbnb on travellers’ loyalty and the moderating role of attractiveness of the reward program. The findings of this study also provide valuable implications for managers of peer-to-peer accommodation platforms and website developers.

Delving into Airbnb Users’ Sources of Disappointment

Airbnb; gerek arz gerekse talep açısından hızla büyüyen bir alternatif konaklama sektörü olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Airbnb ile ilgili bu hızlı yükseliş, kullanıcıların deneyimlerini araştırmayı gerekli kılmaktadır. Alanyazında konaklama işletmelerine yönelik misafir şikâyetleri üzerine yapılan araştırmalara karşın; Airbnb kullanıcılarının şikâyetleri üzerine hem ulusal hem de uluslararası alanyazında yeterince araştırma yapılmamıştır. Bu anlamda, çalışmanın amacı İstanbul’daki Airbnb kullanıcılarının şikâyetlerini incelemektir. Bu amaçla “Inside Airbnb” veri tabanından alınan 580 olumsuz görüş, içerik analizi tekniğiyle çözümlenmiştir. İçerik analizinin yanı sıra, bulgular Nvivo12 kelime bulutu oluşturularak desteklenmiştir. Analiz sonucunda şikâyetler, üç ana boyut ve 23 alt temaya ayrılmıştır. Bu şikâyetler; ‘‘ev ile ilgili şikâyetler’’, ‘‘ev sahibi ile ilgili şikâyetler’’ ve ‘‘diğer şikâyetler’’ olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışma, Airbnb kullanıcılarının şikâyetlerini belirleyerek, alternatif konaklama endüstrisinde e-şikâyetlerle ilgili sınırlı olan alanyazına katkı sağlamakta ve bu sektörde halihazırdaki Airbnb ev sahipleri için uygulamaya yönelik öneriler sunmaktadır.