A Resource-Based View for Airbnb Hosts’ Service Strategies

The rapid growth of short-term rentals (STRs), including peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, has led to more Airbnb hosts adopting professionalized service strategies. New forms of hosts have emerged with the most prominent categories being professional and non-professional hosts. Although previous research has referred to these two distinct groups, it is notable that no research has explicitly managed to distinguish their service practices and differences. The current study aims to examine the differences in hosting services between professional and non-professional hosts. Drawing insights from a Mediterranean destination (i.e. Cyprus), semi-structured interviews were conducted with Airbnb hosts (31 hosts were contacted and 24 participated in the interviews). By employing the Resource Based View theory (RBV) and conducting content analysis, the study proposes a new conceptual framework that outlines the service strategies and resource allocations of both host types. The findings indicate that professional hosts predominantly leverage a broader and more structured bundle of resources to pursue efficiency-oriented and standardized practices, whereas non-professional hosts rely more on intangible and human resources (e.g. local knowledge and personalized interaction) to deliver authenticity and relational trust. Furthermore, the current study offers theoretical implications on peer-to-peer accommodation regarding professional and non-professional hosts demonstrating how Resource-Based View theory can be meaningfully extended beyond firm-centric settings to encompass micro-entrepreneurial actors. Finally, several practical implications are provided for practitioners, policymakers, and the platform, enhancing the understanding of how to build a more sustainable hosting community.