Beyond commercial platforms: Guest experiences in non- commercial shared accommodation

Abstract

This study aims to understand guest experiences within the context of the non-commercial sharing economy in tourism. The research treats the guestbook records kept at Velesbid Bicycle House, a community-based, volunteer- driven example of shared accommodation, as a natural data source and analyses them using a descriptive phenomenological approach. The data were examined using thematic analysis, and it was determined that guest experiences were shaped around four fundamental experience areas: hospitality experiences, community experiences, emotional experiences, and spatial experiences. The findings show that guest experiences are not limited to functional services or host–guest interactions; they are established through volunteering, collective belonging, shared values, and community-based practices. Furthermore, it has been revealed that space is transformed from a physical ‘space’ into a meaningful ‘place’ through collective labour and social relations. The study goes beyond the commercial and market-centred approaches that dominate the sharing economy and shared accommodation literature, offering a contextual and experience-based contribution to how non-commercial sharing practices shape guest experiences.