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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of key decision-making attributes on consumers’ choice of accommodation among and between hotels and Airbnb. Design/methodology/approach The study used a choice-based conjoint approach using 21 key decision-making factors that impact consumers’ choice of accommodation across five segments ranging from economy to luxury. Latent class estimation was used to identify segments of respondents who tend to have similar preferences for accommodation. Findings The results showed the presence of a consistent pattern of decision-making across the five accommodation segments, culminating in a hierarchy of importance in accommodation choice. The 21 key decision-making attributes comprised three tiers in order of decreasing importance: quality and service, amenities, and accessibility and safety. Further, latent class analysis indicated the presence of a hotel group and an Airbnb group of customers, which allowed us to identify how both types of providers might maximize the value of their offers to encourage customer switch. Research limitations/implications The accommodation landscape is extremely dynamic (particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds) and complex. The present study cannot capture all of its intricacies but provides an invaluable foundation for future research on the topic of consumer choice in an evolving and competitive accommodation market. Originality/value Extant research on accommodation choice has focused on hotels or Airbnb only. Moreover, research that has considered both types of accommodation simultaneously is limited in its conceptual and methodological scope. The present study synthesizes the fragmented literature on consumers’ accommodation choices and offers a holistic and coherent schematic – the hierarchy of importance in accommodation choice – that can be used by future researchers and practitioners alike.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a holistic way of incorporating biophilic building design that creates a restorative environment attractive to prospective urban hotel employees. This study additionally examines the role of perceived well-being from nature attributes and associated impacts on emotions and likelihood to choose to work for a hotel with nature attributes. Design/methodology/approach This study used a conjoint analysis to detect the most resotrative individual and combinations of biophilic attributes that can improve employee well-being. In addition, nature attributes influence on emotions and intentions to work for a hotel were analyzed. Findings Results showed that not all nature attributes are equally evaluated by urban hotel prospective employees. In this study, the authors found that natural lighting, outdoor green views and indoor landscaping are important factors in the evaluation of an urban hotel with biophilic features. However, this tendency varies when the sample was divided by prospective employees’ who perceived higher or lower levels of well-being would be influenced by nature attributes. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, the authors tested a multiattribute design and results demonstrate the perceived restorative effect of nature attributes in an environment on prospective employees. In addition to extending the biophilic design in hospitality literature, the authors provide practical suggestions to urban hotels incorporating biophilic design and propose that specific elements have the propensity to enhance the well-being of prospective employees and reinforce positive emotions and intentions to work for urban hotels that incorporate them.

Extant research provides ample evidence that Airbnb has an adverse impact on hotel revenues and that a majority of Airbnb hosts offer multiple listings on the platform. Arguably, multi-unit host listings are the primary driving force for the associated decreases in hotel revenues. To test this proposition, this study examines the extent to which single- and multi-unit host Airbnb host listings have differing effects on hotel revenues. The results show that the adverse impact of Airbnb supply on hotel revenues was mainly driven by decreases in hotel prices rather than decreases in hotel demand. Contrary to expectations, single-unit host listings exerted greater downward pricing pressure on hotels than multi-unit host listings. These effects were consistently observed across hotel segments, with economy-scale hotels experiencing substitution effects in addition to pricing pressure. The findings have significant implications for researchers and stakeholders impacted by the sharing economy in the lodging industry.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between two dimensions of servicescape (i.e. substantive and communicative servicescape), health care travelers’ emotions, perceived value and word-of-mouth intentions. It also assesses the moderating effects of accommodation type (i.e. hotel and Airbnb) and interior design styles (i.e. traditional and modern) on the relationship between the two servicescape dimensions and travelers’ emotions. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample from a survey of 692 health care travelers who stayed at either a peer-to-peer accommodation (i.e. Airbnb) or a hotel, a multi-step structural equation model analysis tested the relationships among variables. It examined the moderating effects of accommodation type and interior design style. Findings The relationships between servicescape, emotions, perceived value and word-of-mouth were significant. Also, the two moderators affected how servicescape influenced the emotions of health care travelers. For Airbnb guests, communicative servicescape had a more substantial effect on enhancing their positive emotions than hotel guests. For health care travelers who stayed at an accommodation with a traditional interior design style, in addition to enhancing positive emotions of health care travelers, substantive servicescape significantly reduced their negative emotions. Practical implications The findings suggest the need for the lodging industry to examine how health care travelers perceive and experience their accommodations with unique interior design characteristics. Also, stakeholders in the lodging industry should leverage the aspects of substantive servicescape in terms of relevant interior design styles, which, in turn, influence health care travelers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions. Given the increase in medical mobility and demand for accommodations by those traveling to receive health care services, understanding the lodging environment and how it affects travelers in this segment is essential. Originality/value This research develops a comprehensive servicescape model with a focus on the communicative dimension. Moreover, this study significantly contributes to the hospitality literature regarding how the core experience and various interior design styles influence a rapidly growing segment of health care travelers. Health care travelers’ emotions are essential to consider given the propensity to experience stress related to travel situational health factors.

Although social emotions can serve as an effective analytic lens through which to study residents’ reactions to tourists and tourism, limited theoretical discussion exists examining how social emot...

Airbnb has been criticized about its negative impacts on residents’ quality of life. Yet, extant research on the topic is limited, both in volume and theoretical and empirical efficacy. In light of...

A theoretical model was formulated based on cognitive-appraisal and bottom-up spillover theories and tested with structural equation modeling across two groups of residents—with and without prior experience staying at an Airbnb (as a guest). Results indicated that residents with prior experience staying at an Airbnb had significantly higher levels of emotional solidarity with visitors to their neighborhood, more positive emotions toward Airbnb hosts, and perceived that Airbnb visitors impacted community well-being and personal quality of life more positively, compared with residents without prior experience staying at an Airbnb. Moreover, the relationship between emotional solidarity and perceived community well-being was significantly stronger for residents with prior experience staying at Airbnb in addition to the significantly weaker relationship between negative emotions and community well-being. These results point to the importance of prior experience staying at Airbnb (as a guest) as a moderator in the formation of residents’ emotions and perceptions related to Airbnb hosts and visitors in their neighborhood.

Although there is the saying “there’s no place like home”, research on a traveler’s sense of feeling at home in an accommodation and its influence on their well-being is underrepresented. Particula...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the competitiveness of tourism destinations, worldwide, utilizing a regional economic policy tool known as the shift-share analysis. The changes in tourist arrivals, tourism receipts, and per-tourist-dollars of each country are assessed and compared with the overall tourism development across 150 countries in the world using a 17-year period (2000-2017). The findings indicate that Japan, Thailand, and Turkey are the most competitive countries when tourist arrivals are specified, but Turkey drops to the least competitive country when tourism receipts are specified as the base indicator. Thailand and Japan rank among the most competitive destinations based on their tourism receipts. Yet further results show that Luxembourg is the most competitive country, demonstrating the largest growth in per-tourist-dollar. Overall, results imply that the competitiveness of the countries and regions vary based on the aggregated measure of tourism development, suggesting that destinations need to focus on growth mechanisms and capitalize on their tourism potential. Practical implications are discussed.

The adverse impact of the recent pandemic on the lodging industry has largely been based on anecdotal evidence. The extent to which different parts of this broad industry were individually affected by the COVID-19 pandemic also remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the various sectors of the lodging industry to identify patterns that may not be consistent with the idea that the entire hospitality industry was negatively affected by the pandemic. The results show that while the COVID-19 pandemic did have a generally negative effect on lodging demand, hotel room and peer-to-peer accommodation property bookings were not affected equally. Importantly, it appears that these variations were attributable, at least in part, to state-level variations in policy that made travel and hospitality services relatively more (or less) difficult for consumers to obtain. Theoretical and managerial implications are extensively discussed.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of self-efficacy and intentions measures for time spent in nature (TSN). TSN is related to improvement in psychological well-being and health, yet most American adults spend very little time in such settings. Theory-based interventions have been effective in increasing physical activity, a related behavior, and may be one mechanism to increase TSN. Self-efficacy and intentions have been shown to be strong predictors of health behaviors and are used across several theories. However, scales to measure these factors have not yet been developed and are needed to facilitate effective interventions.MethodsTSN self-efficacy and intentions scales were developed using a sequential nine-step procedure: identification of the domain and item generation; content validity; pre-testing of questions; sampling and survey administration; item reduction; extraction of factors; tests of dimensionality; tests of reliability; and tests of validity. The 14-member multidisciplinary, researcher and practitioner investigative team generated 50 unique items for self-efficacy and 24 unique items for intentions. After subjecting items to content validity and pre-testing, item sets were reduced to 21 assessing self-efficacy and nine assessing intentions. A nationwide sample of 2109 adult participants (49.7% female, Mean Age = 58.1; 59.8% White, 18.4% Hispanic, 13.3% Black) answered these items via an on-line survey.ResultsUsing split-half measures, principal components analysis indicated a one-factor solution for both scales. The factor structure was upheld in confirmatory factor analyses and had high internal consistency (α = .93 self-efficacy; .91 intentions). The scales were moderately correlated with each other (r = .56,p 2 > .20).ConclusionsThe study resulted in reliable and valid self-efficacy (14 items) and intentions (8 items) scales that can be used to develop future theory-based interventions to increase TSN and thereby improve population health.

This study expands Carroll’s CSR typology with the public health and safety dimension to examine how the airline industry’s CSR and public health and safety activities influence flight attendants’ organizational identification, self-esteem, and commitment to the company during COVID-19. A total of 342 South Korean flight attendants participated in online surveys. Based on social identity theory and using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study reveals that ethical-, economic-, and philanthropic-CSR and public health and safety are positively related to organizational identification and that all are linked to the self-esteem and organizational commitment of flight attendants. However, legal-CSR did not affect their organizational identification. The results suggest that “public health and safety” should be applied when initiatives aim to enhance flight attendants’ organizational behavior. The study’s findings contribute to the literature by extending the original CSR model and providing theoretical and practical implications for academic researchers and airlines during a pandemic.

The present study investigates the impact of freedom (i.e. the effects of political rights and civil liberties) on tourist arrivals for the eight countries with the highest tourist arrivals in 2016 (France, the United States, Spain, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Mexico), using annual data from 1998 to 2016, through advanced panel data methods. Notably, the key strengths of this study are as follows: (i) it examines the impact of institutional quality on international tourism demand for the most visited countries and (ii) it employs advanced panel data techniques, which have been suggested in recent years. We first constituted a freedom index using political rights and civil liberties data. Second, we performed cross-sectional dependence (CD) tests to examine whether there existed CD in the panel data set. After detecting the presence of CD, we used panel unit root and cointegration tests, which are robust to CD to avoid problems from spurious regression. Finally, we estimated long-run parameters of the empirical model through a panel data estimator that is capable of presenting efficient and unbiased output in the presence of CD. Our empirical findings show that the level of freedom may play a role in explaining the volume of international tourist arrivals. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed in the study, particularly with respect to the importance of rights and freedom in the context of international inbound tourist arrivals.

This study examines how 527 patients across different health states assessed the influence of hotel-like attributes on their well-being. Using theoretical mechanisms of attention restoration underlying restorative servicescapes, we postulated that hotel-like products and services will enhance patients’ perceived well-being, which, in turn, will favorably affect their behavioral intentions. We also tested an alternative model that included additional direct relationships between hotel-like products and services and behavioral intentions, based on the tenets of cue utilization theory. After conducting a series of nested model comparison procedures, we confirmed that the alternative model provided a theoretically and empirically stronger explanation for the dynamics of hotel-like restorative servicescapes. Although the differences between less healthy and more healthy patients were not statistically significant, the less healthy group demonstrated the same pattern of relationships as in the overall model, indicating that such patients may be more likely to derive greater restorative benefits from hotel-like hospital rooms, which may also make them more likely to pay higher out-of-pocket expenses for such rooms. The study furthers the empirical research agenda on evidence-based design (EBD) and the role of hospitality in health care.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between innovation and authenticity by developing a conceptual framework that illuminates the key constructs. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a common perspective – the customer – for both innovation and authenticity. A conceptual framework identifying the roles of centrality and distinctiveness in the innovation–authenticity relationship is developed and justified based upon prior research regarding brand extensions and authenticity. Findings The innovation–authenticity relationship can be visualized and managed using two constructs: centrality and distinctiveness. Centrality is proposed to have a positive relationship, whereas distinctiveness is proposed to have a non-linear (inverted-U) relationship. Originality/value The paper contributes a new conceptualization of the innovation–authenticity–loyalty relationship. It applies C–D Mapping in a completely new way to provide managerially relevant visualization of customers’ perceptions of a new innovation vis-à-vis the parent brand to guide strategic decision making. The paper also suggests areas for further research to improve our understanding of successful innovation–authenticity alignment.

Airbnb's entry into the lodging landscape has dramatically increased the available supply of rooms for accommodating prospective visitors at a destination. In a competitive market, an increase in supply while keeping demand relatively constant would decrease prices and revenues. While Airbnb is expected to negatively impact the hotel industry, the effects of Airbnb on the performance of the hotel industry have not been extensively quantified. Also, existing studies on Airbnb's economic impacts are limited in their inferential, temporal, and/or geographical scope. In view of this gap in the literature, the present study examines the effects of Airbnb supply on key hotel performance metrics: room revenues (RevPAR), average daily rates (ADR), and occupancy rates (OCC) in ten major U.S. hotel markets for the period between July 2008 and June 2017. The results demonstrate that an increasing Airbnb supply negatively impacts all three performance metrics within the hotel industry. Moreover, while previous research has demonstrated a negative impact on lower-end hotels, our findings provide evidence of Airbnb's growing impact on the mainstream market across hotel class segments, signaling a high level of consistency with the tenets of the theory of disruptive innovation. The magnitude of these effects is not only statistically but also economically significant. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Airbnb has emerged as a credible competitive threat to the hotel industry. Consequently, hotel brands are having to rethink the experiences they provide to customer in an increasingly competitive environment. Despite these trends in the industry, experience-related research that examines and informs these developments remains under-represented in the hospitality and tourism literature. The present study offers a systematic approach to examine the potential differences in experiential consumption in the accommodations industry. Using a multiple-group analysis approach, it examines the moderating effects of individual characteristics and situational factors on the nature and dynamics of experiential consumption in the accommodations industry. The findings of the study culminate in the core-periphery framework of the hospitality consumption experience that can provide a relevant theoretical lens for future research into the different sectors and types of experiences within the hospitality and tourism industry. The study also outlines important implications for the hotel industry’s strategic experience design initiatives, from the standpoint of product development, the segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) process, and marketing communications.

This study developed a conceptual framework for a preventive travel decision-making process amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, combining the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN). Analyzing 409 responses collected from an online survey, this study verified the integrated model as a salient theory addressing the importance of social components and health belief factors in affecting behavior. The model revealed that altruistic value influences the HBM variables, whereas personal norms mediate preventive behaviors and beliefs in both VBN and HBM. These findings offer new theoretical insights into decision-making process and provide practitioners with effective crisis management strategies concerning pro-social and health beliefs.

The relationship between tourism development, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions has been examined in a variety of contexts; however, the extant studies report contradictory findings mainly due to utilizing arbitrary empirical techniques. We present a comprehensive literature review and the effects of tourism development, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Specifically, the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy consumption, and tourism receipts on carbon dioxide emissions in OECD countries are examined utilizing the bootstrap panel cointegration technique and the augmented mean group estimator. The results showed that tourism development has negative and significant effects on CO2 emission in Canada, Czechia, and Turkey, while tourism development has positive and significant effects on CO2 emission in Italy, Luxembourg, and the Slovak Republic. Also, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and the Slovak Republic have shifted towards sustainable tourism practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer

While the customer experience is at the heart of the hospitality industry, experience-related research remains underrepresented. This gap is critical, particularly given the emerging threat of the sharing economy to the hotel industry along experiential factors. Using data from a survey of 630 customers who stayed at a hotel or an Airbnb, the authors use structural equation modeling to compare two models with alternative conceptualizations of the dynamics of experiential consumption in the accommodations industry. Building on the concept of the experiencescape from the branding and hospitality and tourism literatures, the model enhances Pine and Gilmore’s (1998) original experience economy construct by demonstrating the critical role of the dimension of hospitableness in facilitating favorable experiential and brand-related outcomes, particularly in the context of the hotel experience. The findings have important implications for the hotel industry’s strategic experience design initiatives and emphasize the need to use hospitableness in order to create a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing environment.

Data from a survey of 1478 travelers and multistep group structural equation model analysis revealed that the Health Belief Model constructs of cues to action (trust in third-party information sources), perceived severity of and susceptibility to COVID-19, and beliefs about the protection benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine, subsequently elicited willingness to vaccinate and beliefs that others should vaccinate prior to travel and enhanced support for pre-travel vaccination mandates. Also, significant differences in the perceived protection benefits of the vaccine and willingness to vaccinate were found across groups of travelers who travel more or less frequently and those with and without a prior positive test for COVID-19. The study provides a theoretically informed understanding of the dynamics that may enable the success of important health-related travel policy in the wake of COVID-19 and future pandemics and identifies the communication mechanisms that must be leveraged by governments and travel authorities in enforcing policy.

Community leaders and tourism authorities in Las Vegas have suggested the promotion and development of medical tourism to improve the economy and quality of life for residents. The present study uses social exchange theory with spillover theory as the conceptual framework to examine factors of economic performance of medical tourism, overall community satisfaction, health care satisfaction and attitudes toward medical tourism; these factors influence on residents' perceptions of medical tourism's impact on community wellbeing, which in turn affects willingness to pay higher taxes and support for medical tourism development. The findings revealed that the greater the economic performance of medical tourism, the more positive the impact of medical tourism to community wellbeing was perceived. Similarly, attitudes toward medical tourism and overall community satisfaction positively influenced the perceived impact of medical tourism on community wellbeing. Finally, community wellbeing positively influenced residents' willingness to pay higher taxes and support medical tourism development.

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed consumers to choose from hundreds of thousands of diverse accommodations. In this article, we explore the impact of price partitioning on demand. Our findings reveal that partitioning the price into different elements can have a positive impact on demand. We argue that when the price is partitioned into different fees, it draws attention to the rationale behind the fees – such as additional cleaning. While the presence of the fees acts as a signal, we draw upon prospect theory to argue that the amount of the fee is viewed as a loss and thus has a negative impact on demand. We test our arguments using data on Airbnb's across the whole United States and find that price partitioning positively impacts demand, but the costs themselves have a negative impact on demand.

A study of 216 respondents examined a medical center environment’s influence on patient responses. A stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model was adapted to the theory that more hospitable healthcare servicescape elements will affect patients’ overall satisfaction with healthcare experience, loyalty intentions, and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. Servicescape elements included atmospherics of the healthcare environment, service delivery by healthcare staff, physical design of the healthcare environment, and wayfinding. Results of structural equation modeling confirmed that the four servicescape elements – had a significant impact on patients’ overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience. Furthermore, overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience predicted patients’ loyalty intentions and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. The study makes a significant contribution to the empirical modeling of patients’ behavioral respo...

Purpose Accommodations providers in the sharing economy are increasingly competing with the hotel industry vis-à-vis the guest experience. Additionally, experience-related research remains underrepresented in the hospitality and tourism literature. This paper aims to develop and test a model of experiential consumption to provide a better understanding of an emerging phenomenon in the hospitality industry. In so doing, the authors also expand Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct. Design/methodology/approach Using data from a survey of 630 customers who stayed at a hotel or an Airbnb in the previous three months, the authors performed a multi-step analysis procedure centered on structural equation modeling to validate the model. Findings The authors demonstrate that the dimensions of serendipity, localness, communitas and personalization represent valuable additions to Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct. Airbnb appears to outperform the hotel industry in the provision of all experience dimensions. The authors further define the pathways that underlie the creation of extraordinary, memorable experiences, which subsequently elicit favorable behavioral intentions. Practical implications The findings suggest the need for the hotel industry to adopt a content marketing paradigm that leverages various dimensions of the experience economy to provide customers with valuable and relevant experiences. The industry must also pay greater attention to its use of branding, signage and promotional messaging to encourage customers to interpret their experiences through the lens of these dimensions. Originality/value The study expands a seminal construct from the field of services marketing in the context of the accommodations industry. The Accommodations Experiencescape is offered as a tool for strategic experience design. The study also offers a model of experiential consumption that explains customers’ experiences with accommodations providers.

In an increasingly competitive market, healthcare providers are incorporating best practices from the hospitality industry to improve the patient experience. The present study offers a model of hospitality healthscapes to provide a patient-based perspective of the infusion of hospitality into healthcare. A study of 406 respondents examined the hotel-like attributes that patients prefer in hospital rooms and the effect of their provision on patients’ well-being and willingness to pay higher out-of-pocket expenses. Using conjoint analysis and 3D visual representations of hospital rooms, the study found that high-end material finishes and hospitality-certified healthcare staff were the two greatest influences on patient choice. The study also found some differences between the preferences of “less healthy” and “more healthy” patients, with the less healthy patients willing to pay, on average, 13% higher out-of-pocket expenses for hotel-like hospital rooms than the more healthy patients. This study represents the first attempt in the evidence-based design literature to holistically and empirically examine the infusion of hospitality into healthcare by emphasizing the “patient as customer.” The findings have important marketing implications for healthcare providers who wish to enhance the patient experience.

The social and economic implications of the Airbnb phenomenon have been the subject of much research. Yet, the academic literature on Airbnb is nascent. Specifically, the issue of whether major macroeconomic conditions affect the supply of Airbnb has not been investigated. To address this gap, we propose a conceptual model that explains the determinants of Airbnb supply and examine the extent to which major macroeconomic factors affect the supply of Airbnb. Specifically, we analyze the effects of hotel room rates (ADR), hotel demand, tourism demand, house prices, gross domestic product (GDP), wages and unemployment on the supply of Airbnb in 50 U.S. states. Results show that increases in hotel ADR, house prices, and GDP have contributed to an increase in the supply of Airbnb, whereas increases in unemployment rates and wages have adverse effects on Airbnb supply. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed within realms of macroeconomic theory.

In addition to disrupting the hotel industry, Airbnb has been portrayed in the media as significantly diminishing the quality of life of residents in neighborhoods where it is available. There is little empirical research to support such rhetoric, particularly as provided by the residents themselves. To address this gap, the present study uses the social exchange theory framework to develop and test two alternative models of residents' attitudes towards Airbnb. Findings indicate that residents are generally positive towards Airbnb, perceiving higher positive than negative impacts. Moreover, those residents who possess more knowledge of Airbnb, engage more with their communities, and perceive potential benefits from Airbnb also perceive higher positive impacts, while the need for regulation serves as the key determinant of residents' perceptions of Airbnb's negative impacts. The positive impacts, in turn, have a stronger direct effect on residents' support for Airbnb, and tourism more generally, than the dampening effect of Airbnb's negative impacts. Quality of life was not found to have a significant mediating effect on these relationships, a finding that contradicts previous discourse and opens up avenues for future research on the role of this important construct.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial negative impacts on the global economy. While all sectors of the economy are expected to be adversely affected, the economic implications of this pandemic for the hotel industry have not yet been widely investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S. hotel industry. The results showed that daily room OCC, ADR and RevPAR have plunged about 74%, 47% and 86%, respectively. Although the impact is observed across all hotel segments, economy-scale hotels were more resilient, whereas luxury-scale hotels experienced the largest decline. Also, chain-managed hotels are the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to franchise and independent hotels. Quantifying the magnitude of this impact, we found that the U.S. hotel industry's revenue losses accumulated to over $30 billion between March-2020 and May-2020. Implications for practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers are discussed.

Tourism authorities in the Las Vegas region have suggested the diversification of the tourism industry as a strategy to improve the vitality of rural communities outside of the metropolitan area. The present study uses Social Representation Theory as the conceptual basis to test the moderating effects of the various types of proposed tourism development on residents' willingness to pay higher taxes to support such development. A survey of 301 residents in Las Vegas rural communities examined how the factors of economic dependence on tourism, community attachment, and ecocentric attitude towards tourism influence residents' perceptions of tourism's impacts. A higher economic dependence on tourism and higher levels of community attachment led to more favorable perceptions of tourism's economic and social impacts. The economic impacts, in turn, resulted in a willingness to pay higher taxes, irrespective of the type of tourism development proposed by the Las Vegas authorities. The results suggest that rural communities reinforce a hegemonic social representation of tourism in order to characterize the ethos of capitalist urbanism that pervades the economic development discourse. The residents' social construction of tourism has important implications for tourism planners in the region and suggests the adoption of an inclusive tourism diversification strategy that leverages both gaming and alternative tourism.

This study examines the within tourism businesses social dynamics that lead to positive community social change via the reduction of barriers between amenity migrants and locals. The overarching study question is: What social dynamics happen within amenity migrant owned tourism businesses that are reducing social barriers between migrants and locals and leading to positive social change in the community? Findings show the existence of a dynamic interplay between the amenity migrants and locals who are working together that reflect rational (providing opportunities for locals to become tourism producers, promoting mutual understanding and respect, widening the participation of locals in decision-making) and emotional (welcoming nature, sympathetic understanding, emotional closeness) dimensions, reducing their differences and creating positive social change in the community.

Although Airbnb's impact on hotels has been quantified for major hotel markets in the United States, these effects have not been quantified in international hotel markets. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Airbnb listings on key hotel performance metrics in an international context. In particular, we examine the effects of Airbnb listings on hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR), average daily rate (ADR), and occupancy rate (OCC) in major international hotel markets, namely London, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo. The results show that Airbnb listings in these major cities have been increasing more than 100% year over year and that the effect of Airbnb on hotel RevPAR and OCC is negative and statistically significant. In particular, a 1% increase in Airbnb listings decreases hotel RevPAR by between 0.016% and 0.031% in these hotel markets. The implications of these findings for destinations and hoteliers are discussed.

This study examines and compares the extent to which Airbnb and hotel supply affect key hotel performance measures in the United States. The results show that although both Airbnb and hotel supply adversely affect hotel revenues (i.e., RevPAR), the magnitude of the impact of hotel supply on RevPAR is much larger than that of Airbnb. Airbnb adversely affects hotel room prices (i.e., ADR), however; it does not affect occupancy rates (i.e., OCC). Yet, increasing hotel supply negatively affects OCC but not ADR. The results from the state-level analyses further showed that the negative effects of Airbnb and hotel supply on RevPAR, ADR and OCC persist only in states with high hotel supply. Analyzing the joint effects of Airbnb and hotel supply on hotel performance in a manner that is both geographically-comprehensive and spatially-meaningful, this study provides a more complete and nuanced understanding on the economic dynamics of the accommodation industry.

Research on Airbnb has provided significant evidence that it has an adverse impact on hotel performance. However, the impact of a more recent Airbnb-related phenomenon that remains under-explored is the increasing professionalization of Airbnb and the prevalence of multi-unit hosts who offer more than one listing on the platform and are typically more dynamic in terms of issues like managing inventory and providing more standardized experiences. This professionalization begs the question of whether Airbnb should be considered a sharing economy platform or a lodging corporation (Airbnb 2.0). To answer this question, the present study identifies which types of Airbnb properties (entire homes, private rooms, or shared rooms) and host structures (single- or multi-unit hosts) are the biggest threats to traditional lodging companies in the U.S., and which states are most affected by the presence of Airbnb. The findings have significant implications for researchers and many practitioners associated with the phenomenon.

Fluctuating and extreme weather patterns are acute indicators of climate change and these patterns modify tourist activities. The tourism industry is thus considered highly vulnerable to climate change. However, the effects of climate change on tourism have not yet been extensively quantified. Furthermore, the extent to which tourism is vulnerable or resilient to climate change has not been compared to other sectors of the economy. This study examines the extent to which vulnerability and resilience to climate change affect tourism and the overall economy. The results indicate the effects of vulnerability are much greater than those of resilience. The tourism industry is more vulnerable, yet more resilient, to climate change compared to the overall economy. The strength of these effects varies across countries with different income levels: countries with the lowest income levels are more vulnerable and less resilient, and those with the highest income are the least vulnerable and most resilient. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Airbnb has been portrayed as making neighborhoods significantly less safe where hosts are operating. However, the evidence has been mainly anecdotal. The present study developed a model of non-hosting residents' emotional solidarity with Airbnb visitors, their sense of feeling safe, and support for Airbnb hosts. Results indicated that non-hosting residents who had higher emotional solidarity with Airbnb visitors were more supportive of Airbnb hosts. Also, economic benefits and place attachment were significant antecedents to emotional solidarity. Considering the protection motivation theory, results of group modeling indicated the sense of feeling safe was an important factor for non-hosting residents with children living in their household, attributed to parental fear of visitors around children (i.e., “stranger danger”). The sense of feeling safe was a significant mediating factor influencing support for Airbnb hosts in the non-hosting residents group with children living in their households.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which Airbnb supply affects employment in the hospitality, tourism, and leisure industries. Accordingly, we analyzed the effects of Airbnb supply on various sectors in the hospitality, tourism, and leisure industries in 12 major metropolitan statistical areas in the United States for the period between July-2008 and February-2018. The results showed that Airbnb supply positively affects employment in all sectors of the hospitality, tourism, and leisure industries. The magnitudes of these effects are not only statistically but also economically significant. Although prior studies have showed that Airbnb has an adverse impact on hotels' financial performance measures, our results show that employment in the hotel sector increases with increased Airbnb listings. While this outcome might be contradictory to the general conjecture, such evidence calls for a comprehensive investigation of Airbnb's overall economic impact. Research and practical implications are further discussed.

The sharing economy phenomenon, and the economic, social, and technological changes fueling its growth have challenged the hotel industry to rethink its experiential value proposition to the customer. But, is Airbnb taking a share of the existing hotel industry or is it just increasing the overall accommodations industry?

What comes to mind when you think of a hospital room? Stark. Sterile. Bare. Clinical. What might it mean for patients if the association with the environment shifted to something like: Comforting. Bright. Elegant. Personal?