Trust the Facts: The Impact of Reviews’ Written Style and Subject-Focus on Peer-to-Peer Accommodation Consumption

Abstract

Applying dual-process theory, the current research examines the impact of written style (i.e., fact-based vs. emotion-based) and subject focus of online reviews (i.e., property-focused vs. host-focused) on customer trust and booking intention in the peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation context. Following a theory-led conceptualization of customer trust in the P2P accommodation context, a series of three scenario-based experimental studies are conducted to examine the proposed hypotheses. Study results show that fact-based (vs. emotion-based) reviews of the property/host enhance customers’ booking intention, which is mediated by trust in the property/host, respectively. Moreover, among fact-based reviews, host-focused (vs. property-focused) reviews lead to a higher level of booking intention among female customers, but male customers show no significant difference in booking intention when reading either host-focused or property-focused reviews. The present research findings bear important theoretical and managerial implications for researchers and P2P accommodation practitioners alike, which are discussed at the end.