Airbnb: what determines a memorable experience?

Purpose
This paper aims to propose a new model of memorable Airbnb experiences that was tested by examining the effects of the novelty of the experience, experience co-creation, hospitableness and facility service quality on memorable Airbnb experiences. This study also examined the impact of such experiences on hedonic well-being.

Design/methodology/approach
Using an online survey questionnaire on Amazon Mechanical Turk, we gathered data from 214 international tourists who stayed in an Airbnb rental property during the three months preceding the time of data collection (November 2020–January 2021).

Findings
This study confirmed that novelty of the experience, experience co-creation, hospitableness and facility service quality are key variables in the formation of tourists’ memorable Airbnb experiences and that the latter further influences tourists’ hedonic well-being.

Practical implications
Airbnb guests should not be viewed as passive agents but as active producers of their own consumption experiences. Airbnb hosts should, thus, be highly involved when their guests want to co-create their experiences by actively interacting with them. For example, hosts should make recommendations for dining and sightseeing.

Originality/value
This study contributed to the existing literature on memorable tourism experiences and Airbnb by furthering the understanding of the antecedents of memorable Airbnb experiences and of the mediating effect of memorable Airbnb experience on hedonic well-being.