Tourism Development And Revenue Management Capabilities For Airbnb Hosts

Author : Ruggero Sainaghi

Abstract :This study explores the role of marketing capabilities for value creation in the short-term rental sector, also in light of the degree of professionalization of hosts. The study integrates secondary quantitative and qualitative data generated from a set of 55 interviews. The results show strong differences between individual and professional hosts, identifying the development of marketing capabilities as the reason behind the latter's better performance. They include skills related to (i) data analysis; (ii) pricing policies; (iii) customer relationship management; and (iv) revenue management tools. In terms of academic implications, this article is in line with recent emerging evidence on the role of professionalization in short-term rentals and has a trait of originality in both method and content. Previous studies on Airbnb are in fact purely quantitative in nature, with a focus on identifying the determinants of the ability of professional hosts to outperform individual hosts. However, these studies do not explain why, which this is precisely the focus of this article.

Keywords :Marketing Capabilities, Short-Term Rentals, Host Professionalization, Value Creation

Conference Name :International Conference on Indigenous Tourism and Development (ICITD-25)

Conference Place Los Angeles, USA

Conference Date 17th Apr 2025