General vs. specific: How location information control drives performance in peer-to-peer accommodation

Unlike traditional hotels that explicitly specify their geographical locations, hosts on peer-to-peer accommodation platforms can partially conceal their properties' location information, showcasing only a general area in public searches for potential guests. However, the impact of this information control has been underexplored. Drawing upon the communication privacy management theory and leveraging a unique Airbnb panel dataset from multiple sources, this study investigates the effect of partial location information concealment on property sales performance. Findings show that partially concealing location information leads to an 18.4% increase in occupancy rates compared to disclosing specific location details. Additionally, the effect of location concealment is contingent upon co-owner responsibility boundaries (i.e., host identity verification, guest screening), as well as environmental density boundaries (i.e., population density, listing density). Furthermore, a scenario-based experiment confirms the main effect, and reveals that guests’ sense of control and perceived risks serve as the underlying mechanisms driving this direct effect. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.