An analysis of Airbnb online reviews: user experience in 16 U.S. cities

Purpose This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the complex nature of Airbnb user experience by analyzing the pattern and sentiment of online reviews and assessing the relationships among review scores. Design/methodology/approach Big data analysis is conducted using Airbnb users’ online reviews of 16 US cities; correlation is run on review scores. Findings The key themes of Airbnb users’ online reviews are “clean,” “location,” “stay,” “home,” “place,” “host,” “neighborhood” and “recommend” and users have positive Airbnb experiences in general. The score of “cleanliness” significantly affects the “overall review” score. Research limitations/implications This study is exploratory in nature; mixed methods should be used in the future to measure the relationship between user experience and extracted themes. As the context is in the USA in the current study, comparisons of review patterns across different countries and regions are necessary for later studies. Furthermore, future studies should consider Airbnb users’ demographics, personality and lodging preferences. Practical implications It is important for Airbnb hosts to maintain a clean and accessible property. Both Airbnb hosts and hoteliers should enhance the attributes that generate positive customer reviews. Each city should develop different strategies based on the performance of “cleanliness” and “overall review.” Originality/value This study supplements the existing literature in Airbnb user experience by analyzing online reviews in 16 US cities via Leximancer 4.0.