본 연구는 대체숙박시설의 차별화된 속성을 특성을 살펴본다. 대다수의 온라인여행사(OTA)에서 사용되는 숙박시설 평가기준은 호텔/모텔로 대표되는 기존 형태의 숙박시설과 동일하게 적용되고 있다. 그러나 이론과 시장의 고찰은 대체숙박시설이 기존의 숙박 형태와 근본 ...

본 연구는 대체숙박시설의 차별화된 속성을 특성을 살펴본다. 대다수의 온라인여행사(OTA)에서 사용되는 숙박시설 평가기준은 호텔/모텔로 대표되는 기존 형태의 숙박시설과 동일하게 적용되고 있다. 그러나 이론과 시장의 고찰은 대체숙박시설이 기존의 숙박 형태와 근본적으로 다른 차별화 상품임을 암시하고 있다. 소비자 평가 기준에 있어 이러한 격차를 해소하기 위해 본 연구는 메타 해석 및 전문가 패널 인터뷰를 통한 질적 접근으로 기존의 숙박시설과 차별화된 대체숙박시설의 특유의 특성을 확인한다. 결과적으로 업장과 이용객 간 상호 작용, 이용객 간 상호 작용, 정보 기술 및 시스템, 이웃, 분위기, 유연성 및 지속 가능성과 같은 대체 숙박 시설 유형에 대한 고유 속성으로 나타났으며, 결과를 통합하는 개념적 틀이 제시된다. 본 연구의 결과는 스마트관광 시대의온라인 소비자 평가 개선과 새롭게 도입되는 숙박산업의 이해에 기여할 것이다.

This study aims to address distinctive attributes of alternative accommodation for user evaluation. In industry practice represented by leading online travel agencies (OTAs), user evaluation criteria identical with hotels/motels are adopted to non-tra ...

This study aims to address distinctive attributes of alternative accommodation for user evaluation. In industry practice represented by leading online travel agencies (OTAs), user evaluation criteria identical with hotels/motels are adopted to non-traditional alternative accommodation properties, although these are fundamentally different products from their traditional counterparts. In order to fill this gap, this study utilizes qualitative approach with meta-interpretation and expert panel interview on alternative accommodation and identifies the distinctive characteristics that separate them from conventional accommodation facilities. As a result, unique attributes for alternative accommodation types are suggested including: host to guest (H2G) interaction, guest to guest (G2G) interaction, information technology and system (IT/IS), neighborhood, atmosphere, flexibility, and sustainability. A conceptual framework is provided integrating the findings. Practitioners and researchers may use these attributes to improve online consumer evaluation and enhance understanding on the emerging subsectors of the lodging industry, in the era of smart tourism.

During the past decade, the tourism accommodation sector has dramatically changed with the emergence of innovative lodging products such as Airbnb, guesthouses, and non-traditional hostels. With the internet-based platform and people’s ease in lending ...

During the past decade, the tourism accommodation sector has dramatically changed with the emergence of innovative lodging products such as Airbnb, guesthouses, and non-traditional hostels. With the internet-based platform and people’s ease in lending their properties, alternative accommodation businesses have grown explosively. It is often argued that the experience of guests staying in alternative accommodations is fundamentally different from the conventional options such as hotels and motels. Accordingly, researchers have tried to define the non-traditional accommodation sector with limited success in reaching a consensus. Building on this definition, this study defines alternative accommodation as a non-traditional subgroup of the accommodation sector offered as a direct alternative to hotels and motels for customers, the use of which is facilitated through internet and e-commerce, and not distinguished by the particular tangible or services attributes of the operation.
Meanwhile, small and medium-sized alternative accommodations are primarily operated by micro-entrepreneurs who usually lack their own websites or information channels outside of third-party intermediaries. Yet, by examining the leading online travel agencies (OTAs) or similar online platforms that provide information and/or booking services for the said accommodation facilities, identical customer rating items, usually comprising cleanliness, staff, facilities, location, comfort, and price, are applied to the evaluation criteria regardless of the accommodation types.
To bridge this gap, this study aims to address the critical attributes of alternative accommodation facilities that are distinctive from the traditional lodging options by means of qualitative approach, after which can be utilized for improving validity and accuracy of user evaluation. Findings of analysis identified five distinctive attributes for alternative accommodation types: H2G interaction, G2G interaction, neighborhood, atmosphere, and flexibility. Each attribute was meta-interpreted, as listed in Table 2. Specifically, H2G interaction is distinguished from established staff service when customers expect personalized service from hosts of alternative accommodation. G2G interaction has seldom been mentioned in conventional accommodation environment, but is suggested as an important factor in alternative accommodation types. As internet has changed the tourism environment, individuals take proactive online and offline interactions. Neighborhood is linked to the willingness of physical and psychological interaction with the community while travelling. Atmosphere that allows unconstrained social interaction without obligation is an environmental attribute enabling and facilitating other attributes. Flexibility is customers’ autonomy supporting environment with less regulations or restrictions. These unique attributes in alternative accommodation could reflect demands of customers who seek homely accommodation when travelling, while supporting their desired roles of active participants and at the same time, controllers of experience.
The expert panel interview allowed further polishing and adding the depth of the initial pool from the meta-interpretation. Novel tourism perspective such as community-based tourism (CBT) or fair tourism gazes the neighborhood in a different lens. For small-sized alternative accommodation properties, safety can be extended to the intangible category encompassing financial stability, legality, and morality of the business, from a one-dimensionality of physical safety. The use of OTA imposes some new challenges such as information technology and system issues as well as controllability of customer experience in the booking process before staying and reviewing process after staying. Valence and image consider such representation.

Service quality is highly emphasized in the tourism hospitality industry it is the competitive advantage created by human resources, which are difficult to imitate or replace. Alternative accommodation is distinguished from typical accommodation types ...

Service quality is highly emphasized in the tourism hospitality industry it is the competitive advantage created by human resources, which are difficult to imitate or replace. Alternative accommodation is distinguished from typical accommodation types, and the expansion in the market suggests that a new competitive advantage was created that has not existed in the conventional types. To date, however, the pace of research development falls behind the geometric growth of alternative accommodation failing to diagnose and address the differentiation and uniqueness of alternative accommodation and its service quality.
Therefore, this study suggests a conceptual framework of service quality for alternative accommodation through qualitative approach synthesizing extent literature and the expert panel interview. Alternative accommodation service quality encompasses environment, interaction, and result quality. It is a subdimension of each quality, with surrounding environment that reflects the uniqueness of alternative accommodations, extended stability, H2G and G2G interaction, and IT/IS through OTA. Interaction, sustainability, and image were newly discovered. The findings derived from this study can be further validated through empirical analysis, in terms of reliability and validity. This study is expected to be a cornerstone providing guidelines to academia and industry of alternative accommodation in the era of smart tourism.