Is Airbnb a peer-to-peer community? The professionalization of collaborative economy platforms in Spain

Abstract

The emergence a little over 10 years ago of various platforms that allowed short-term rental accommodation to be offered between individuals was a revolution in the tourism sector. The profound transformation that tourist accommodation has undergone has now become normalized. Over recent years, short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb have emerged and changed the way alternative accommodations are offered between individuals. Originally, these platforms were considered an example of the “Sharing Economy” that put the social dimension at the centre of the movement. However, more recently, professional property management agencies have also begun listing their properties on the platform, thereby bringing the original collaborative consumption ideal, and the complementary idea of being part of the social economy, into question. In this study, we analyze the level of professionalization of the Airbnb listing in 10 Spanish cities and regions to assess whether or not the principles of the sharing economy are being met. In particular, we study how the sector is structured, which, on the Airbnb platform, varies between professionalized agents with multiple listings and private owners with a single listing. In addition, we aim to measure how the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic affected this structure, whether it generated different responses from highly professionalized agents compared to private owners with just a single advertisement on Airbnb. This paper also presents an in-depth case study of Madrid within the period 2015-2020.