024: Curation Over Volume: How Landfolk Is Redefining Growth in Short-Term Rentals with Christian Schwarz Lausten
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What is the core idea behind “curation over volume” in short‑term rentals?
provide great delightful user and customer experiences. And that starts with actually saying no. We are selling dreams. That is basically the product that we have. The whole grail of our industry is cleaning and it's the hardest not to crack, for sure. The way that you find and discover Those listings will definitely change if you don't have direct relationships. The aspiration for going premium is a huge market opportunity. You're saying you're tech native, not tech obsessed. So that is really balance between humans and tech, and I think that is really the future of the industry.
You are listening to STR Global Unlocked, brought to you by AGL Atelier, the show where I speak with the leaders shaping short-term rentals worldwide. I am Simon Lehman and after two decades buying, selling, advising and investing, I've built a network that spans continents and categories. This podcast brings that network to you. Real conversations, global insight, no PR fluff. Let's get started. What if short term rentals were never meant to be a volume game? What if scale did not start with inventory, but with taste, with trust, with standards? What if technology was not used to automate chaos, but to protect culture? Today's guest sold a company to Airbnb. He saw the inside of the machine and then he went back to build something completely different.
Today I'm joined by Christian Schwartz Lausen, founder and CEO of Landfall out of Denmark. Christian previously founded Guest, which was acquired by Airbnb. He understands platforms, venture capital. And scale at the biggest level. But the land folk choose a different direction. Landfolk is not chasing volume. It is curating homes. It is building brand. It is shaping culture. And from a technology and leadership standpoint, it may be one of the most disciplined plays in the European short-term rental space today. Christian, it's a great pleasure to have you on the show. Thanks so much for the warm intro, Simon. Appreciate it. It's great to have you and I'm really looking forward to this conversation. There's a lot of to unpack with your past and also with landfolk.
I already had your opportunity to meet some of your team members and we read a lot about you out there. And it's definitely a very great industry story to follow, also for our international listeners. And before we dive deeper into land fog, let's do a quick rapid fire. I give you two words and you give me one answer as short as possible. Growth or
discipline? Discipline, growth. Brand or scale. I would say Scale, uh for sure, but but with a strong brand. OTA or direct? Direct. AI advantage or risk. advantage. Marketplace or membership. Marketplace. Europe or global? Europe first, then global. Curated or open. Curated. Five years from now. What is land folk in one word? Pan European. I wanna sort of
touch on the fact that you sold another startup to Airbnb. your experience scale from an inside standpoint, what did that experience teach you about marketplaces and that most founders potentially never see?
Yeah, that was an incredible experience, obviously coming from what I would say, playing minor league to premium league, right? It I mean it was really interesting to to see what it really entails to become a global brand, basically, right? And how do you flex those muscles in a in a good way, right? When you're when you're expanding. And I think what we learned was the the discipline around data and what data can provide to a company if it if it's done correctly, right? I also think the ambition of expansion and and really striving for for building something truly, you know, big and magnificent was was just great to see coming from one of the smallest countries in the world and then joining a company that sees the whole world as its playground.
I think that was just a very inspirational experience. And I think we we learned so much during those years. It was it was absolutely great. Uh to be part of that.
How did that transition process work? What what did you fundamentally potentially disagree with in that process?
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the core idea behind “curation over volume” in short‑term rentals?
0:00–15:32
2
How did Christian’s experience at Airbnb shape his view on marketplace growth and data discipline?
15:32–28:48
3
Why does Landfolk say “no” to inventory and how does that drive trust with guests and owners?
28:48–41:03
4
What is the €21 billion “affordable‑luxury” market and why is it the sweet spot for Landfolk?
41:03–52:01
Speakers
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