Search Results (16)

This study investigates how different types of service failures in peer-to-peer accommodation influence guests’ negative review intentions. It explores the underlying psychological mechanisms and how the recovery agent’s identity (platform vs. host) shapes recovery effectiveness. Adopting a mixed-methods research design, an initial qualitative study (N = 52) explored key themes related to service failure and psychological contract violation, followed by three scenario-based experiments that empirically tested the proposed theoretical model and the moderating role of the recovery agent. Specifically, Study 1 (N = 236) and Study 2 (N = 297) employed 3 × 1 between-subjects designs comparing informational service failure, social service failure, and a control condition, while Study 3 (N = 352) adopted a 2 × 2 between-subjects design crossing service failure type (informational vs. social failure) and recovery agent identity (platform vs. host recovery). The findings reveal that both informational and social service failures significantly increase negative review intentions, with distinct mediating mechanisms: informational psychological contract violation mediates the impact of informational failures, whereas relational psychological contract violation mediates the effect of social failures. Importantly, a “recovery-agent matching” effect emerges, whereby platform recovery more effectively mitigates informational violations, while host recovery is more effective in repairing relational violations. By applying psychological contract theory to the dual service-provider structure of the sharing economy, this study extends the service recovery literature and shifts the focus from what recovery is delivered to who delivers it. The findings also provide practical guidance for managers, highlighting the need to move beyond one-size-fits-all recovery strategies. Full article

Negative online reviews play a critical role in shaping consumer decision-making in the hospitality sector. Drawing on cue utilization theory and signaling theory, this study examines how different types of negative reviews and host responses affect potential guests’ booking intentions, as well as the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Across three scenario experiments, the proposed framework was tested. Study 1 reveals a significant interaction between the type of negative reviews (informational vs. social) and host response strategies (problem-focused vs. emotion-focused), highlighting that aligning response strategies with review types is critical for effective negative review management. Study 2 demonstrates that perceptions of host competence and attitude mediate these effects, indicating that potential guests make decisions through psychological inference. Study 3 finds that platform-endorsed credibility signals, such as host badges (Superhost vs. non-Superhost), significantly moderate these relationships. When hosts are Superhosts, informational negative reviews paired with problem-focused responses further enhance competence perceptions and booking intentions; for non-Superhosts, social negative reviews paired with emotion-focused responses improve attitude perceptions and booking intentions. The findings advance theoretical understanding of how signaling mechanisms shape consumer behavior in home-sharing hospitality platforms, and offer practical guidance for hosts and platforms to manage online reputations strategically and effectively. Full article

In historic and cultural districts characterized by the coexistence of residential and commercial functions, street spaces play a pivotal role in shaping urban cultural continuity and local identity. They simultaneously support the daily lives and emotional attachment of residents while accommodating the tourism activities of visitors. Despite this dual significance, the distinct functional and experiential expectations of residents and tourists have resulted in multidimensional perceptual differences, which have not been sufficiently addressed in previous studies yet are crucial for enhancing street space quality. Using the Sajinqiao Historic and Cultural District in Xi’an, China, as a case study, this research develops a perceptual evaluation system for street spaces and applies an enhanced IPA-KANO model to examine variations in explicit importance, attribute performance, and implicit importance between residents and tourists. Findings indicate that residents attach greater importance to religious sites, community facilities, and cultural belonging, whereas tourists prioritize transport accessibility, iconic architecture, and commercial vibrancy. Both groups expressed relatively low satisfaction with several key cultural experience elements. Based on these results, this study proposes targeted optimization strategies for elements identified as highly important yet underperforming, providing a practical framework for balancing heritage conservation with contemporary tourism development in such integrated urban environments. Full article

The transformation of traditional food markets into urban tourism destinations has garnered increasing attention, yet the mechanisms driving tourist motivations remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a host–guest sharing model grounded in the Theory of Self-Regulation (TSR). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we first conducted grounded theory analysis on 358,700 words of travelogues, identifying six TSR-based constructs: host–guest sharing, sense of place, behavior attitude, desire, subjective norms, and behavioral intention. These constructs were then validated through structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 416 tourists. Results indicate that host–guest sharing (β = 0.925) and sense of place (β = 0.947) are the primary drivers of tourist intention, mediated by behavior attitude (β = 0.662) and desire (β = 0.861). Subjective norms (β = 0.724) further reinforce intention formation. The findings highlight the centrality of authentic cultural experiences and resident–tourist interactions in shaping food market tourism. This research extends the TSR framework by integrating geographical and psychological perspectives and offering actionable insights for urban planners to enhance food markets as sustainable tourism attractions through improved service quality, cultural storytelling, and equitable space design. Full article

Preaching in a multicultural context calls for hospitality to ensure that diverse cultures and experiences are acknowledged and valued. Embodying hospitality in preaching means that participants engage as co-hosts and co-guests, contributing to a shared vision of hospitality within the community. This opposes the asymmetrical, one-directional power dynamics that perpetuate the host–guest dichotomy in the gospel. This research argues that when Christian preaching in a multicultural context pursues “power-with” rather than “power-over” to address the power imbalances inherent in singular understandings and experiences, it can reframe preaching as an act of mutual hospitality rather than a unilateral act of defining or instructing the gospel. To pursue this, this study conceptualizes preaching as an ongoing act of hospitality among preaching participants, examines the possibility of preaching agency for co-preachers through the case of Korean Bible Women, and explores effective ways to practice preaching agency. Full article

In the competitive landscape of Airbnb hosting, optimizing pricing strategies for properties is a complex challenge that requires revenue maximization with high occupancy rates. This research aimed to introduce a solution that leverages big data and machine learning techniques to help hosts improve their property’s market performance. Our primary goal was to introduce a solution that can augment property owners’ understanding of their property’s market value within their urban context, thereby optimizing both the utilization and profitability of their listings. We employed a multi-faceted approach with diverse models, including support vector regression, XGBoost, and neural networks, to analyze the influence of factors such as location, host attributes, and guest reviews on a listing’s financial performance. To further refine our predictive models, we integrated natural language processing techniques for in-depth listing review analysis, focusing on term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF), bag-of-words, and aspect-based sentiment analysis. Integrating such techniques allowed for in-depth listing review analysis, providing nuanced insights into guest preferences and satisfaction. Our findings demonstrated that AirBnB hosts can effectively utilize both state-of-the-art and traditional machine learning algorithms to better understand customer needs and preferences, more accurately assess their listings’ market value, and focus on the importance of dynamic pricing strategies. By adopting this data-driven approach, hosts can achieve a balance between maintaining competitive pricing and ensuring high occupancy rates. This method not only enhances revenue potential but also contributes to improved guest satisfaction and the growing field of data-driven decisions in the sharing economy, specially tailored to the challenges of short-term rentals. Full article

The rapid expansion of the sharing economy has ignited diverse perspectives regarding its sustainability implications. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study examining the influence of host–guest interactions on sustainable consumption behaviour is yet to be conducted. To fill the abovementioned gap, this research crawls online data and corresponding consumer reviews of 46,360 properties listed on Muniao Short Rent. Employing latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) to model sustainable consumption reviews and conducting subsequent regression analysis using SPSS, this research empirically demonstrates that the host–guest interaction frequencies and positive emotions during interaction positively influence guests’ sustainable consumption behaviours within the sharing-accommodation context. This research proposes the significance of the host–guest relationship for green consumers and argues that factors such as price and house type negatively moderate the host–guest interactions and guests’ sustainable consumption initiatives. Full article

Information on short-term rental platforms plays an important role in consumer purchase behavior. However, information asymmetry between host and guest has been identified as a problem in sharing economy contexts. In this paper, to fill this gap, the authors develop six hypotheses about the focal impacts of self-presentation strategy and the moderating effects of third-party certification. Based on data from Airbnb, the authors first examine how the tactics of self-presentation strategy influence consumer purchase behavior. The results show that different self-presentation tactics affect consumer purchase behavior differently. The authors also found that the third-party certification level weakens the influence of self-presentation strategy interactions on consumer purchase behavior. Full article

The sharing economy has risen rapidly in the past decade. The development of shared accommodation encourages more hotels and guesthouses to attract customers through online accommodation-sharing platforms, which has become a meaningful way to fight against the competition of the traditional hotel industry. In this condition, what the hosts are concerned about most is how to attract customers’ attention through the platform display to increase reservations. Based on construal level theory, this paper explores how hosts’ information displayed on online accommodation-sharing platforms determines consumers’ booking behavior by influencing their psychological distance. We use machine learning methods to mine the raw data and extract the representational factors of psychological distance. Based on the data-driven behavior decision-making approach, we collected valid large-scale fine-grained secondary actual consumption data from Airbnb, the world’s leading online accommodation-sharing platform, and scientifically and intelligently processed the data using machine learning methods, then tested the hypotheses using the regression analysis software STATA15. Our findings suggest that both social distance and temporal distance have a negative impact on booking behavior of guests. In detail, subject diversity, perspective taking, and facial attractiveness in the dimension of social distance positively influence guests’ booking behavior; instant bookable in the temporal distance dimension positively affects booking behavior, while response time has a negative effect. This study contributes to the literature by empirically examining psychological distance in the booking behavior of guests in shared accommodation through the processing and analysis of actual consumption data. The findings have important practical implications for how shared accommodation service providers and sharing economy platform managers can operate better. Full article

The chemotherapeutic Lenvatinib (LVB) and a nitric oxide (NO) photodonor based on a rhodamine antenna (RD-NO) activatable by the highly compatible green light are supramolecularly assembled by a β-cyclodextrin branched polymer (PolyCD). The poorly water-soluble LVB and RD-NO solubilize very well within the polymeric host leading to a ternary supramolecular nanoassembly with a diameter of ~55 nm. The efficiency of the NO photorelease and the typical red fluorescence of RD-NO significantly enhance within the polymer due to its active role in the photochemical and photophysical deactivation pathways. The co-presence of LVB within the same host does not affect either the nature or the efficiency of the photoinduced processes of RD-NO. Besides, irradiation of RD-NO does not lead to the decomposition of LVB, ruling out any intermolecular photoinduced process between the two guests despite sharing the same host. Ad-hoc devised Förster Resonance Energy Transfer experiments demonstrate this to be the result of the not close proximity of the two guests, which are confined in different compartments of the same polymeric host. The supramolecular complex is stable in a culture medium, and its biological activity has been evaluated against HEP-G2 hepatocarcinoma cell lines in the dark and under irradiation with visible green light, using LVB at a concentration well below the IC₅₀. Comparative experiments performed using the polymeric host encapsulating the individual LVB and RD-NO components under the same experimental conditions show that the moderate cell mortality induced by the ternary complex in the dark increases significantly upon irradiation with visible green light, more likely as the result of synergism between the NO photogenerated and the chemotherapeutic. Full article

Current research investigating the accommodation experience in the sharing economy in China is limited, especially from a cross-cultural perspective. To fill this gap, this study examined the accommodation experience of Airbnb guests using text-mining techniques and compared the accommodation experience perception between two culturally different groups: domestic Chinese and foreign English-speaking Airbnb guests. The results showed that the two groups shared eight common dimensions, including “Convenience/Location”, “Amenities”, “Feel at home”, “Check-in/out”, “Experience”, “Availability/Transportation”, “Host”, and “Style/Decoration”. However, there are differences in the relative importance of each dimension of accommodation experience between the domestic and foreign Airbnb guests. For example, the foreign guests more often mentioned homeliness, location/convenience, and availability/transportation, while the domestic guests showed greater interest in check-in procedures and style/decoration. Additionally, the two groups have several unique dimensions. The dimensions unique to foreign guests are “Recommendation” and “Booking flexibility”, while the dimensions unique to domestic guests are “Revisit” and “Cleanliness”. This study provides both theoretical and practical implications for peer-to-peer accommodation hosts and platforms. For example, Airbnb hosts can improve the satisfaction of Airbnb guests by improving several common extracted topics (e.g., amenities quality and host response) and the fact that foreign guests care more about homeliness, while domestic guests pay more attention to the check-in process and house design and decoration. Full article

In this paper, a modified Cyclotriveratrylene was synthesized and linked to a branched Polyethylenimine, and this unique polymeric material was subsequently examined as a potential supramolecular carrier for Doxorubicin. Spectroscopic analysis in different solvents had shown that Doxorubicin was coordinated within the hollow-shaped unit of the armed Cyclotriveratrylene, and the nature of the host–guest complex revealed intrinsic Van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding between the host and guest. The strongest interaction was detected in water because of the hydrophobic effect shared between the aromatic groups of the Doxorubicin and Cyclotriveratrylene unit. Density functional theory calculations had also confirmed that in the most stable coordination of Doxorubicin with the cross-linked polymer, the aromatic rings of the Doxorubicin were localized toward the Cyclotriveratrylene core, while its aliphatic chains aligned closer with amino groups, thus forming a compact supramolecular assembly that may confer a shielding effect on Doxorubicin. These observations had emphasized the importance of supramolecular considerations when designing a novel drug delivery platform. Full article

This study inductively analyzes the topics of interest that drive customer experience and satisfaction within the sharing economy of the accommodation sector. Using a dataset of 1,086,800 Airbnb reviews across New York City, the text is preprocessed and latent Dirichlet allocation is utilized in order to extract 43 topics of interest from the user-generated content. The topics fall into one of several categories, including the general evaluation of guests, centralized or decentralized location attributes of the accommodation, tangible and intangible characteristics of the listed units, management of the listing or unit, and service quality of the host. The deeper complex relationships between topics are explored in detail using hierarchical Ward Clustering. Full article

Although China has become an emerging market in the peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation industry, no research has been conducted to examine Chinese guests’ experience with short-term rentals. This study aims to investigate major service attributes that influence Chinese guests’ experiences and satisfaction with P2P accommodations by analyzing online reviews on the Xiaozhu sharing economy platform in China. Using text mining and content analysis method, the study found that Chinese guests who stayed in entire houses/apartments and private rooms frequently mentioned “host service,” “cleanliness,” “location and transportation,” and “living environment.” In addition, the guests who stayed in private rooms cared more about “security and privacy” and “value for money.” Those who stayed in entire houses cared more about the facilities, with a particular focus on the aspects of the kitchen. Finally, the guests who stayed in private rooms valued social interaction with the host more and left a lower proportion of negative reviews related to “host service” than those who stayed in entire houses. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese guests’ experience. Full article

We can only begin to grasp hospitality as we enact it and yet, in the moment of enactment, hospitality eludes us. In this paper I look at the enactment of hospitality in the relationship between Iranian citizen-hosts and Afghan refugee-guests in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in order to reflect more broadly on questions of Derridean hospitality. Moving between the theoretical and the ethnographic, I forcefully bring to bear on a situation of protracted refugee displacement, a notion of hospitality that has, to a large extent, remained abstract and unanchored. The scalar shifts between the domestic and the national (so integral to Derrida’s theorising of the hospitable), are here reproduced in an examination of Iranian hospitality that simultaneously considers the juridical framework of asylum in the Islamic Republic and the domestic or homely expression of welcome, that occurs in the ushering of the guest over the threshold and the sharing of food around the sofreh. Full article