A systematic review of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation sharing research from 2010 to 2016: progress and prospects from the multi-level perspective

This paper reviews academic research on P2P accommodation sharing over the 2010-2016 period. Using a systematic review, the paper identifies 71 articles published over this period. Existing studies mainly focus on Airbnb and Couchsurfing as exemplars of P2P accommodation sharing. We utilize the multi-level perspective (MLP) to conceptualize the literature and identify future research directions. Using this framework we explore how P2P accommodation sharing is impacted by the landscape and the current regime in the accommodation sector. From the systematic review, seven key themes were identified: conceptual development; regulation; macro-level impacts; regime response; host behavior; guest/host experience; and marketing issues. Many of the existing studies explore the niche level of the MLP. We suggest that researchers also examine interactions between the landscape, regime and niche levels within the context of the sharing economy.