Abstract
However, few studies targeting the vacation-rental industry have investigated online reviews. To narrow this gap, this study focuses mainly on the gamification design developed by Airbnb that awards a “Superhost” badge to hosts who receive good reviews and observes how this can impact an accommodation's review volume and ratings. All available information regarding Airbnb accommodation offered in Hong Kong was retrieved from Airbnb's website. We then constructed a negative binomial model and a Tobit model with different independent variables and controlled a set of variables relating to accommodation characteristics. The results show that an accommodation with the “Superhost” badge is more likely to receive reviews and higher ratings. In addition, guests are willing to spend more on “Superhost” accommodations. Based on our findings, we present implications for research and host practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 454-465 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Tourism Management |
| Volume | 60 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- Airbnb
- Gamification
- Hospitality
- Online reputation
- Rating
- Review volume
- Sharing economy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Development
- Transportation
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
- Strategy and Management