In this episode of Pillow Talk Sessions, Cathrine Reiman, Co-Founder of Landfolk, joins host Jessica Gillingham to explore how a strict focus on quality, community, and human connection is shaping a different kind of short-term rental platform — one that prioritizes long-term trust over rapid scale.
Landfolk has grown from just 33 homes to over 1,500 properties across seven markets. But that growth has been deliberately controlled. Cathrine explains that the company rejects around 50% of potential hosts, ensuring every home meets a consistent standard and aligns with the brand’s values.
This approach has enabled Landfolk to scale supply while maintaining a high level of guest experience and strong relationships with hosts. It also sets the platform apart in a market often driven by volume rather than curation.
The conversation dives into:
- Why saying no to half of potential hosts is central to maintaining quality and brand integrity.
- How Landfolk has scaled to over 1,500 homes while preserving a curated, community-driven model.
- The importance of host relationships, with 60% of the original hosts still active after five years.
- Why churn is viewed as the most important KPI, reflecting the overall health of the platform.
- How emotional connection between hosts and the platform drives long-term retention.
- The role of referrals, with existing hosts recommending new properties that meet the same standards.
Cathrine also explains how Landfolk balances technology with human judgment. AI is used to automate routine interactions, such as sharing practical information with guests. At the same time, human support remains central to onboarding, problem resolution, and moments that require empathy or context.
This approach, internally referred to as “warm hands,” ensures that technology improves efficiency without removing the personal element that defines the experience. Guests and hosts still have access to real people when it matters most.
On the product side, Landfolk is investing in AI-powered search to improve discovery. Instead of relying on filters, guests can search using more descriptive inputs based on the type of experience they want. The system then matches those inputs with homes based on imagery, descriptions, and reviews, shifting the process from functional search to a more intuitive, experience-led approach.
Quality remains critical to making this work. Consistent photography, clear descriptions, and reliable reviews ensure that search results align with guest expectations, particularly as AI becomes more central to how people discover accommodation.
Looking ahead, Landfolk is testing new directions while maintaining its core principles. The company plans to pilot urban rentals in Copenhagen, selecting apartments from existing hosts and applying the same curation standards used for holiday homes. The pilot will also integrate local regulatory requirements directly into the platform, including rental caps, to ensure compliance.
At every stage, the focus remains the same. Growth is measured against quality, not just scale.
