Tourists looking to watch the sunset from the Empire State Building’s observation deck could soon be forced to fork over more than $100.
That’s because the owners of the storied landmark have decided to institute dynamic pricing – the hated money-grabbing scheme that sends ticket prices soaring at times of high demand.
Tickets for the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors currently start at $79 for an adult, jumping to $96 for prime viewings at sunset. That figure could top $100 if desperate romantics drive up the cost under the surge-pricing model.
The stratospheric prices have led to an outcry from fans of the King Kong skyscraper.
“The Empire State Building used to be an iconic, affordable NYC experience,” Kyle Taylor, an Atlanta chef who has frequently traveled to the Big Apple over the years, told The Post. “Pricing it as a near-luxury attraction just adds to the growing exclusivity of the city, which in general, I’m not a fan of.”
The new pricing model was revealed during an earnings call on Thursday by Tony Malkin, chief executive of Empire State Realty Trust, who said the plan will help keep the company’s finances strong.
“We expect continued growth in 2025,” Malkin said, according to a Crain’s New York, which first reported the move. “We are still below overall 2019 levels of volume and have room for upside as visitation levels improve.”
Prices for tickets to the beloved tourist decks already fluctuate based on the time of day, rising to their highest level at sunset, according to Empire State Building’s website.
But even at their cheapest, a trip to the New York skyline staple’s top floors would require a family of five to shell out roughly $400. That’s a huge jump from the $1.10 ticket for the building’s observatory in the 1930s, or even the $55 price just 15 years ago.
A dynamic pricing system would employ an algorithm to further raise prices during times of high demand. It is unclear how much more expensive high-demand tickets at sunrise, for example, would fetch.
Empire State Realty Trust did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jurga Rubinovaite, a Belgium-based travel writer behind the blog Full Suitcase, splurged on a ticket during a visit to the Empire State Building last year. Despite the tall price tag, she said the experience was worth it.
Still, she told The Post she wishes “they would introduce family tickets or bigger discounts at quieter times of day to keep it more accessible for families.”
“Iconic attractions like this should be something that everyone has the chance to experience at least once,” she added.
Dynamic pricing has been adopted by a number of major companies, including Uber, Amazon and Airbnb, which all rely on their own unique algorithms.
Wendy’s faced backlash last year after it announced plans to shift toward a dynamic model with digital menu boards. The fast-food chain later clarified that it would use the technique to offer discounts when business was slow, but it would not raise prices at peak times.
Some musical artists, like Bruce Springsteen and Oasis, have also taken heat after partnering with Ticketmaster, which uses surge pricing, to sell seats to their concerts.
Empire State Realty Trust reported net income for the observatory of $28.5 million in the fourth quarter, up 6% from the year before.
It reported a total 2024 net income of $99.5 million, up 5.8% from the year before.
The company expects net income between $97 million and $102 million this year, which one analyst on the call noted was a fairly flat growth prediction.
Malkin attributed this stagnant growth to an uncertainty around tourism trends in 2025. He said direct flights from China to New York are a far cry from pre-pandemic numbers, and that geopolitical tensions could make the US a less attractive spot for Europeans.
“America as a brand for tourists in Europe is under some threat,” he said. “We saw this before in the prior administration.”
This story originally appeared on NYPost
