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

Area of Science:

• Tourism and Hospitality Research
• Consumer Behavior Analysis
• Sharing Economy Studies

Background:

• Online reviews are crucial for understanding consumer experiences in academic research.
• Previous Airbnb studies often analyzed user experience holistically, neglecting accommodation-specific attributes.
• This research addresses the gap by examining preferences across different Airbnb sharing levels and price points.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Airbnb user preferences, as expressed in online reviews, vary across different accommodation types (entire vs. shared).
• To analyze the impact of price ranges on user preferences for Airbnb listings.
• To identify specific attributes that influence user satisfaction in various Airbnb contexts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 181,190 online reviews from Airbnb listings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Application of the Structural Topic Model (STM) to identify key themes and topics.
• Categorization of reviews based on accommodation sharing level (entire vs. shared) and price.

Main Results:

• Identification of 21 distinct topics related to Airbnb service and product attributes.
• Users of entire properties prioritize hedonic value, while shared property users focus on utilitarian value.
• Price significantly impacts preferences: lower-priced listings are favored for location convenience, higher-priced ones for environment and interior quality.

Conclusions:

• Accommodation type (entire vs. shared) significantly shapes user priorities, distinguishing between hedonic and utilitarian values.
• Listing price is a key determinant of user focus, influencing preferences for location, environment, and amenities.
• Understanding these nuanced preferences is vital for optimizing Airbnb offerings and marketing strategies.