Is Authenticity the New Luxury? Examining the Components and Dynamics of the Luxury Accommodation Experience

Abstract

The nature of luxury experiences has been evolving, with the focus shifting from objective criteria of luxury to understanding customers’ perceptions of luxury experiences. Moreover, in the context of an emerging homesharing sector, there remains a gap in our understanding of what comprises the luxury accommodation experience. The present study develops a model to capture the components and dynamics of the evolving nature of luxury in the accommodations industry. Consistent with our hypotheses, we find that authenticity serves as the primary antecedent of extraordinary experiences in the luxury accommodations industry. It leads to memorable accommodation experiences via the secondary antecedents of Pine and Gilmore’s dimensions of the experience economy and the dimensions of “new luxury,” including digital disconnection and ethical consumerism. Our findings are validated in a second, independent sample of luxury consumers, and have important theoretical and practical implications in the fields of hospitality, luxury, branding, and services management.