When Hosts Trust Guests and Sharing Platforms: Trust in Sharing Economy

ABSTRACT

The peer-to-peer accommodation business has become an important topic in tourism. While the sharing economy relies heavily on peer-to-peer interactions, understanding of this new form of business from the host perspective is still developing. Further, the study argues that the majority of existing studies have often primarily concentrated on Airbnb and therefore limit our understanding of the sharing economy. This study employs a sociological perspective to understand trust through the lens of Chinese hosts and their dynamic interactions with sharing platforms beyond Airbnb. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this qualitative study explores the complexities involved in hosts’ interpersonal and institutional trusting relationships. A conceptual appraisal of the concept of trust in the Chinese context informs the empirical work. Specifically, the study identifies different types of hosts and how their way of being a host shapes their trust behaviors to both sharing platforms and guests.

摘要

共享民宿经济已经成为旅游研究一个重要课题。 虽然共享民宿强调人与人的互动, 我们对民宿主人的研究始终纸质胜少。加之大部分共享民宿研究局限于研究Airbnb, 而忽略了其他共享经济体验。 本定性研究, 从社会学角度出发来了解中国民宿经营者如何了解共享平台和客人, 从而决定是否信任平台和客人。为了更好的了解这一社会关系, 本文深入了解信任在中国当今社会的作用和形成。本文发现, 民宿主人对民宿行业和自身身份认知的偏差, 把他们分为不同的民宿主人从而影响对平台和客人的信任。

KEYWORDS:

• Trust
• sharing economy
• host
• peer-to-peer accommodation

关键词:

• 信任
• 共享经济
• 民宿主人
• 共享民宿

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carol X. Zhang

Carol X. Zhang is Assistant Professor in tourism marketing at University of Nottingham. Her research focuses on the socio-cultural changes in tourism (E-mail: [email protected]).

Neve Isaeva

Neve Isaeva is Lecturer in organizational behavior at University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on trust, distrust, and culture (E-mail: [email protected]).

Shina Li

Shina Li is Professor at Sun Yat-sen University. Her research focuses on the tourism and events management and culture (E-mail: [email protected]).