HimmerLand in Farsø has undergone a remarkable transformation in just a few years: from extensive renovations and capital investment to strengthened competencies and new digital tools. With the HR solution Emply and the payroll system LessorLøn, the resort has professionalized recruitment, streamlined payroll processes, and created a strong digital foundation for growth and world-class service.

Since its founding in 1979, HimmerLand in Farsø has developed from a small golf hotel into an international resort with a wealth of activities and facilities – all united by the highest quality. Guests can enjoy everything from golf, padel, yoga, and spa to state-of-the-art conference facilities and three restaurants, of which Himmerriget is renowned for fine dining.

In recent years, the resort has received a capital injection of 500 million DKK and a complete renovation from basement to ceiling. In addition, the resort has a new management team with ambitious growth plans. HimmerLand has invested heavily in its staff, now counting 309 employees, as well as in the digitalization of administrative processes, including HR and payroll. 

“Emply is absolutely sublime” 

In 2023, HimmerLand implemented the HR platform Emply to replace manual and time-consuming processes. 

“Our recruitment process had, until then, been very cumbersome, because applications were handled through emails and Excel sheets. I spent far too much time writing to candidates individually and deleting data afterwards. We needed to professionalize our HR processes and ensure full GDPR compliance,” says Pia Søgaard Jensen, HR Manager at HimmerLand. 

HimmerLand took a thorough approach, spending six months finding the right solution. 

“We chose Emply because this solution can secure progress for us. We don’t buy a system because it works today – it must also work in five years. With Emply’s continuous investments in the software, we are confident that we now have a solution that can grow with our organization,” says Pia Søgaard Jensen and continues: 

“We’ve tightened up our processes in a way I never thought possible. The entire recruitment part is absolutely sublime and fantastic to work with. Communication with applicants, scheduling interviews, contract flows, management of master data, role management, and delegation of tasks – everything runs 100% automated. We can easily differentiate our responses to applicants, and candidates can book their own interview times – just like booking a time at the spa. We can also easily track how far each candidate is in the process,” she explains. 

The number of employees has increased from 240 to 309 in just one year, and recruitment is an ongoing process, with many employees also changing roles internally. 

“We have an ambitious growth strategy, and Emply helps us create structure, leave a professional impression both internally and externally, and support our long-term planning,” says Pia Søgaard Jensen. 

A payroll system that always works 

In 2024, HimmerLand turned its attention to upgrading the payroll system. Another thorough needs analysis was carried out, and the choice fell on LessorLøn, which went live in January 2025.

“Once again, we went for a solution that is continuously developed and will be able to support our business regardless of how many employees we hire. We need a high level of security when we invest in digital solutions, and we know that LessorLøn always works,” says Pia Søgaard Jensen. 

According to Helle Marckmann, Senior Payroll Assistant, the switch has already shown clear advantages: 

“There’s a clear time saving when it comes to handling collective agreement changes and reconciliations in eIncome (the Danish Income Register). Automation and improved data quality have optimized our workflows and reduced the risk of errors,” she explains. 

A strong digital foundation for growth 

With an upcoming full integration between Emply, LessorLøn, and the resorts time tracking system, HimmerLand expects to free up even more time while simultaneously raising the service level. 

“Our goal is to provide better service to our managers, and we can do that when all systems communicate with each other. The next step is integration with SharePoint and BI tools so we can use data across systems and strengthen our decision-making foundation. Implementation takes time, and the solutions are Ferrari models that we have to learn to control – but digitally we are much stronger and far better prepared for the future than ever before,” says Pia Søgaard Jensen. 

About HimmerLand 

HimmerLand was founded in 1979 as Himmerland Golf & Country Club and was taken over in 1986 by Lars Larsen, who had full ownership from 2007. Since then, the resort has undergone significant development with a hotel, conference facilities, spa, fitness center, swimming pool, bowling, and 336 holiday homes. In 2020, the resort changed its name to HimmerLand Resort to emphasize that it is now a year-round resort with activities for the whole family – from golf, padel, and football to spa, multi-purpose hall, and conference facilities. From 2014 to 2024, the resort also hosted the international golf tournament Made in HimmerLand on the DP World Tour.