Can peer-to-peer accommodations act as lodging a stepping-stone for mega-events?

As cities bid for large-scale conventions, they are frequently thwarted by not having sufficient lodging capacity. At the same time, adding new hotels can have negative long-term effects on the city's lodging industry. Drawing on choice theory, this study postulates that one viable solution may be peer-to-peer accommodations, especially during the recovery stage of the post-COVID-19 environment. In this work, researchers conducted a two-part survey of 1212 participants. Results indicate that there were both business and leisure participants whose first choice was a P2P accommodation (20% business: 35% leisure). Between hotel and P2P accommodation travelers, though, there was a significant difference. For those who indicated that a peer-to-peer accommodation was their first choice, location, number of reviews, and star rating were ranked as the most important aspects of an accommodation. The relative importance of the variables differed by type of accommodation (e.g., shared room, etc.).