A model of tourists' loyalty: the case of Airbnb

Purpose Airbnb, a popular peer-to-peer accommodation platform, exceeds the yearly revenue of hotel chains, such as Marriot and Hilton. However, the reason why consumers engage with peer-to-peer accommodations and become loyal is not completely clear yet. This study aims to investigate Airbnb as a service setting. In doing so, more insights into the relevance of concepts, such as service quality (SQ) and hospitality factors, to explain consumers' behavioral intentions with peer-to-peer accommodations and its effect on loyalty can be gained. Design/methodology/approach Through an online survey among Airbnb users and structural equation modeling, the model connecting the measurement constructs is analyzed. Findings This study shows that SQ and importance of having social and authentic experiences are significant antecedents of tourists' loyalty toward Airbnb hosting services. Interestingly, perceived economic benefits do not impact the level of loyalty, neither does feelings of perceived reduce risk. Originality/value The theoretical contributions reveal tourists' behavioral patterns in the peer-to-peer accommodation context influenced by standard service factors used for other types of accommodations. This study has particular implications for the accommodation sector when segmenting customers according to their needs and designing appropriate marketing strategies.