Understanding the influence of “feeling at home” on healthcare travelers’ well-being: a comparison of Airbnb and hotel homescapes

Suess, Courtney; Kang, Sung‐Eun; Doğru, Tarik; Mody, Makarand

doi:10.1080/10548408.2020.1759481

Cited by 26 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…The health care travel segment includes those who travel to receive necessary and elective medical procedures, therapies and other wellness treatments in destinations other than their place of residence (Sandberg, 2017;Suess et al, 2018Suess et al, , 2020. In the past several years, health care travel has become one of the fastest-growing segments in the tourism industry (Han and Hwang, 2018).…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Health Care Travelersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, research by Mody et al (2017) and Suess et al (2020), has shown that travelers find the esthetics in peer-to-peer accommodations to be meaningful and contribute to their well-being and loyalty behaviors. While elements of interior décor and atmospherics have been regarded as influential on guests' emotions and subsequent behaviors in a hospitality context (Heide et al, 2007), research on how consumers' perceptions of the physical design of lodging facilities impact their evaluation of the lodging experience remains limited (Baek and Ok, 2017;Nanu et al, 2020;Suess et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In light of this, the present study applied a substantive servicescape framework to measure, specifically, health care travelers' emotions as influenced by the Airbnb environment and the moderating effects of interior design style. The most relevant research underlying the importance of the accommodation type and interior design to health care travelers is research related to perceptions of peer-topeer accommodations, propelled by preferences for home-like design, spatial layout and emotional connections promoted by the interior's stylistic attributes (Suess et al, 2020). A temporary accommodation's interior design may enhance positive emotions despite an unfamiliar environment (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to this, how health care travelers' emotions influence WOM outcomes has practical implications. Hotel companies are engaging in planning efforts with real estate developers to strategically add accommodation infrastructure to meet increased demand from health care travelers (Suess et al, 2020). In fact, in 2018, Airbnb launched a targeted campaign for health care segments, including host network listings close to health care centers targeting patient travelers undergoing outpatient medical treatment and their families (Airbnb, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…close to health care facilities, lower prices than hotels, the ability to accommodate multiple members of the family. The concepts of a "home atmosphere" and "home-like" accommodation rentals have also been shown to positively enhance a traveler's sense of well-being (Suess et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing the influence of substantive and communicative servicescape on healthcare traveler emotions: the moderating effect of accommodation type and interior design style

Song

Suess

Mody

et al. 2020

IJCHM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between two dimensions of servicescape (i.e. substantive and communicative servicescape), health care travelers’ emotions, perceived value and word-of-mouth intentions. It also assesses the moderating effects of accommodation type (i.e. hotel and Airbnb) and interior design styles (i.e. traditional and modern) on the relationship between the two servicescape dimensions and travelers’ emotions. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample from a survey of 692 health care travelers who stayed at either a peer-to-peer accommodation (i.e. Airbnb) or a hotel, a multi-step structural equation model analysis tested the relationships among variables. It examined the moderating effects of accommodation type and interior design style. Findings The relationships between servicescape, emotions, perceived value and word-of-mouth were significant. Also, the two moderators affected how servicescape influenced the emotions of health care travelers. For Airbnb guests, communicative servicescape had a more substantial effect on enhancing their positive emotions than hotel guests. For health care travelers who stayed at an accommodation with a traditional interior design style, in addition to enhancing positive emotions of health care travelers, substantive servicescape significantly reduced their negative emotions. Practical implications The findings suggest the need for the lodging industry to examine how health care travelers perceive and experience their accommodations with unique interior design characteristics. Also, stakeholders in the lodging industry should leverage the aspects of substantive servicescape in terms of relevant interior design styles, which, in turn, influence health care travelers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions. Given the increase in medical mobility and demand for accommodations by those traveling to receive health care services, understanding the lodging environment and how it affects travelers in this segment is essential. Originality/value This research develops a comprehensive servicescape model with a focus on the communicative dimension. Moreover, this study significantly contributes to the hospitality literature regarding how the core experience and various interior design styles influence a rapidly growing segment of health care travelers. Health care travelers’ emotions are essential to consider given the propensity to experience stress related to travel situational health factors.

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