‘An investigation into why hosts use Airbnb and how it is becoming a career choice’

This dissertation has demonstrated an understanding of how Airbnb has become a global phenomenon and an appealing service for hosts to use. The aim of this study was to investigate why hosts use Airbnb and how it is becoming a career choice. The objectives identified in order to complete the study were to investigate the role of an Airbnb host, to discover the attractions of becoming a host of Airbnb and what motivates them to keep participating and finally, the challenges they have had to overcome. Throughout the research, several interesting findings were revealed about the roles of the hosts using Airbnb and the career choices it offers. One significant finding was due to the challenges in which hosts must face when using the service, including factors such as accepting and declining the guests upon arrival. In addition, an emerging theme was highlighted which was the recent innovation called ‘Airsorted’, a company that takes full control of managing the listing. This research also identifies various motivations for why hosts to keep participating on Airbnb. For example, the social aspect of meeting and greeting guest from around the world was an interesting feature for hosts. Also, the opportunity to generate an extra income was one of the main reason. Furthermore, receiving online reviews from the guests was perceived to give hosts a satisfying feeling about the service they offered. Finally, the on-going tax disputes between Airbnb and governments is examined due to the effects it has for Airbnb hosts as a 90-stay limit is being proposed and the possibility of an income tax could be introduced. Recommendations are provided for future research of Airbnb as a global phenomenon and the future effects of the on-going tax disputes for the hosts. It can be concluded, with regards to the data sample the findings provided will be of value to current and future Airbnb hosts and in addition the company itself, Airbnb