Beyond satisfaction: A hierarchical model of three distinct guest experience types in peer-to-peer accommodation

Abstract

This paper develops and empirically tests a hierarchical model of service quality in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, focusing on guest experiences and behavioral intentions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A conceptual model was developed from Airbnb review comments and tested through a survey. Post-pandemic, 47 follow-up interviews informed an updated model, followed by a second survey to capture shifts in guest perceptions. The findings suggest that P2P accommodation guests allocate considerable processing resources to cognitive cues (deliberative route) and emotional ones (experiential route) in decision making. Also, the study indicates that quality evaluation leads to guest experiences, namely, congenial, affective and intellectual, which ultimately result in behavioral intentions. The study advances service quality theory in the sharing economy context, responds to recent calls in the literature for a deeper theorization of P2P accommodation experiences, and offers managerial insights for hosts and policy makers navigating post-pandemic recovery.