Exploring Smart Home Device Use by Airbnb Hosts

An increasing number of Airbnb hosts are using smart home devices to manage their properties; as a result, Airbnb guests are expressing concerns about their privacy. To reconcile the tensions between hosts and guests, we interviewed 10 Airbnb hosts to understand what smart home devices they use, for what purposes, their concerns, and their unmet needs regarding smart home device usage. Overall, hosts used smart home devices to give remote access to their home to guests and safeguard their investment properties against misuse. They were less concerned about guest privacy and felt that smart home devices provided unique value to guests and, thus, a competitive advantage over other Airbnb properties.