As a new economic format, sharing economy has been widely applied in all kinds of fields of economy and society. Sharing accommodation is a new accommodation model developed under the background of sharing economy. Compared with traditional accommodation, sharing accommodation has unique economic, environmental and social advantages. However, under the cultural background of China, the study of sharing accommodation has not been carried out systematically. This dissertation studies sharing accommodation from three aspects: theory, pricing and consumption intention.
In chapter 2 of this dissertation, 66 peer-reviewed articles concerning sharing accommodation which were published in top journals between 2015 and 2019 were reviewed. Via the method of common content analysis, this paper reviewed the literature of sharing accommodation in an objective, systematic and comprehensive manner. The paper finds that scholars have applied different research methods based on a different understanding of the concept of shared accommodation. The existing literature mainly covers five themes: cultural research, the impact of accommodation sharing, trading experience, legal supervision and marketing issues. The gap between the existing literature and future research topics is also discussed.
In chapter 3 of this dissertation, a large number of data on Airbnb listings were collected from the Inside Airbnb website, and studied the impact of location factors on accommodation pricing in Beijing. This paper applies the hedonic pricing model and therefore uses a quantile regression method. This paper finds that when Airbnb accommodation is close to the city center or business center, the prices will rise. Similarly, proximity to popular attractions will also increase accommodation prices. On the contrary, proximity to transportation hubs (airports and railway stations) decreases rental rates. In addition, this paper also finds that the distribution of Airbnb houses in Beijing is characterized by high aggregation in the center and low aggregation in the periphery. The research results will help the government formulate policies of sustainable development, including sustainable tourism development, to avoid excessive development. At the same time, the optimization of housing layout makes sharing accommodation more competitive.
Chapter 4 of this dissertation studies the factors, which influence the consumption intention of sharing accommodation. For an in-depth insight into the behavioral features of Chinese customers in the sharing economy, this paper examines the factors, which influence consumers' satisfaction, perceived usefulness, and willingness to use sharing accommodation in future travel. According to an online survey of 595 domestic respondents and using software SPSS 21.0, it is determined that guest satisfaction is affected by enjoyment, economic benefit, accommodation amenities and locational benefit. Meanwhile, enjoyment, sustainability and location benefit have positive influences on the perceived usefulness of consumers. In addition, the study finds that consumers' willingness to choose sharing accommodation in the future is decided by satisfaction and perceived usefulness. This study can help participants in sharing accommodation understand the motivation why Chinese consumers choose sharing accommodation. The research also provides practical guidance for the sustainable development of sharing accommodation platforms.
All in all, the results of this study are useful for making sharing housing more competitive. Different aspects of sharing accommodation are complementary and improved with each other.