Exploring tourists' memorable hospitality experiences: An Airbnb perspective

Airbnb is one of the major players in the tourism sharing economy. This study employs a grounded theory approach to explore the central elements of a memorable Airbnb hospitality experience. An analysis of transcripts from interviews with twenty participants indicate that respondents generally report their Airbnb experience as positive. Memorable Airbnb experiences were related to the social interactions with the host, the attitude of the host and the location of the accommodation. The managerial implications include that hosts should actively interact with the guests and treat their guests in a friendly manner throughout their stay. In addition, hosts should provide information about the location of the accommodation and its proximity to the tourist attractions in their profile. On the contrary, those hosts who welcome guests to empty homes with no time to interact during their stay and are poor communicators should not host on Airbnb.