The Role of Awe on Booking Intention in Short-Term Rentals

Abstract

Short-term rentals (STRs) are of great significance to the hospitality industry, but suffered heavy losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, how to increase individuals’ intention to book STRs has appeared as a major issue. This research responded to the issue from an emotional perspective by examining the fueling role of awe. Our hypotheses were tested through four experimental studies using various awe manipulations, divergent assessments of booking intention, involving samples from different sources, and testing participants both in laboratory and field settings. The results showed that participants exhibited a heightened booking intention in STRs after being primed with awe (vs. neutral emotion or happiness). Moreover, such occurrences of the phenomenon were revealed to be driven by social connectedness, and two alternative accounts were ruled out. Beyond theoretical contributions to the existing literature, our findings offered managers some insights into how to leverage individuals’ emotions in short-term rental marketing.