Hosts, platforms and trust transfer: unpacking consumer behaviour in digital hospitality

Purpose From an interpersonal trust and social support theory perspective, this study examines how support offered by peers on sharing platforms, influences trust in peers. It also examines how structural cues on artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled platforms foster institutional trust and facilitate peer-to-platform trust transfer, highlighting peers' crucial role in building trust in AI-mediated services. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 359 sharing economy users was analysed using structural equation modelling. Trust and social support theories are integrated to develop a framework for trust formation and transfer in peer-to-peer interactions. Findings Results show that structural assurance, situational normality and payment security influence institutional trust, while peer emotional, informational and instrumental support drive interpersonal trust. Peer trust facilitates trust transfer to platforms, and both trust types significantly impact continuous usage intentions (CUI). Practical implications Platforms should strengthen retention by making institutional safeguards, especially payment security, more visible and transparent. They should also train peers in empathetic communication and quick problem resolution, while designing features that encourage meaningful consumer–peer interactions to build both interpersonal and platform trust. Originality/value This study addresses the limitation in the trust model that treats trust transfer largely from platforms to peers. By empirically testing peer-to-platform trust transfer in AI-governed sharing services and by specifying instrumental support as a distinct trust-building pathway in offline peer encounters, this study contributes to hospitality trust literature.