Interactive value formation: drivers and outcomes from Airbnb guests’ perspectives

Abstract

This study explores interactive value formation, particularly the underlying drivers of three value outcomes in the Airbnb context: co-creation, co-destruction and co-recovery. The study focuses on reviews posted online by Airbnb guests in English. These posts contained customers' positive and negative experiences with Airbnb on Trustpilot. The data analysis uncovered two main themes that reflected the drivers of value co-creation, codestruction and co-recovery (company's customer service and hosts' actions). First, after a service failure, many guests experienced value co-destruction because they felt that Airbnb's customer service agents could not solve their problems in a timely and proper manner, while the use of successful recovery efforts by the service agents served as an antidote to value codestruction, thereby contributing to value co-recovery. Second, host's friendly behaviour, including prompt communication between the host and the guest, led to value co-creation. On the contrary, inadequate communication and unethical actions by the host generated value co-destruction among the guests and resulted in a decline in their well-being. The findings suggest that particular value dimensions can individually act as a source of either value co-creation or co-recovery, while their inadequate integration in the interactive value formation processes leads to value co-destruction.

A new conceptual framework for memorable Airbnb experiences: guests’ perspectives

“…Some studies have indicated that a poorly maintained room has a negative impact on service quality attributes, such as facility condition (Ert et al , 2016) and the Airbnb accommodation experience (Sthapit et al , 2020). The accommodation provided by the host is considered a key service quality dimension of an Airbnb (Sthapit and Björk, 2020). The findings support studies indicating that the physical environment (Cheng and Jin, 2019) – is considered crucial for guests staying in Airbnb rental properties.…”

“…Airbnb allows property owners to gain additional income by renting out unused rooms, apartments and/or houses. Because of the dispersed ownership and management of Airbnb units, accommodation and experiences may vary widely (Sthapit and Björk, 2020). Airbnb can potentially expand supply wherever houses and apartment buildings already exist and individual hosts solely determine the prices of their Airbnb listings.…”

“…The significant emphasis on peak experiences results in minimal attention being paid to travellers’ supporting experiences (McCabe, 2002), like lodging (including Airbnbs), which have the potential to ruin an entire tourist experience. Airbnb is the world’s largest alternative accommodation provider and is still growing exponentially globally, including in the Nordic countries (Sthapit and Björk, 2020).…”

Airbnb: what determines a memorable experience?

“…This paper proposes a new model of memorable Airbnb experience, which was tested by examining the effect of the novelty of the experience, experience co-creation, hospitableness and facility service quality on memorable Airbnb experience. The study also examined the impact of such experiences on hedonic well-being, particularly in enhancing its the latter’s complexity and depth; previous studies have largely examined MTE and its conventional outcome variables, such as revisit intention (Sthapit and Björk, 2021; Zhang et al , 2018a, 2018b) and place attachment (Sthapit et al , 2019a, 2019b; Vada et al , 2019). In the context of this study, a memorable Airbnb experience refers to a positive Airbnb accommodation experience that is remembered and recalled in vivid detail thereafter.…”

Exploring Airbnb Host Wellbeing and Host-Guest Conflicts in Network Hospitality

“…Compared to hotels, Airbnb accommodation can create a home-like experience, and thus is suited to provide a greater sense of wellbeing to travelers ( Suess et al, 2020 ). From the guest perspective, value can be destroyed by unethical actions of Airbnb hosts and poor communication that diminish guest wellbeing ( Sthapit and Jiménez-Barreto, 2019 ; Sthapit and Bjørk, 2021 ). Airbnb host–guest interactions can contribute to reducing loneliness for both groups thus enhancing their wellbeing ( Farmaki and Stergiou, 2019 ).…”