SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Feb. 24, 2025 – Attractions Are Using AI to Charge You More for Tickets, Minute by Minute. The era of predictable ticket pricing is over, as artificial intelligence (AI) transforms how attractions set their fees. From observation decks to museums and ski resorts, prices are now fluctuating hourly, making it challenging for consumers to budget and plan their visits.
The End of Fixed Prices
Remember when seasonal pricing determined the cost of admission? Those days are gone. Pauline Frommer, a renowned travel expert, recently discovered this dynamic pricing trend while researching the 2026 edition of the Frommer's guidebook for New York City. "When I tried to pin down the entry fees for the Rockefeller Center skating rink, the Empire State Building, the Museum of Broadway, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, and dozens of other attractions, I found that exact prices were no longer listed on websites alongside operating hours," Frommer notes.
Instead, potential visitors are prompted to enter a specific date and time, revealing a price unique to that period. This practice obscures the overall price range and makes it difficult to compare options. "Nowhere on most of the sites I looked at was it stated that prices varied by hours of the day, days of the week, weeks in the month, and months of the year," Frommer explains.
Uncovering the Patterns: A Deep Dive into Dynamic Pricing
To assist Frommer's readers, Frommer spent ten hours analyzing the purchase sections of various NYC attraction websites, compiling a spreadsheet to identify pricing patterns. "There are now a mind-boggling array of prices for each attraction," Frommer observes.
Key Findings: Saving Money in the AI Pricing Era
The research revealed significant price differences based on time of day and day of the week. "The price differences were significant—I'm talking a $15–$20 difference between visiting first thing in the morning (almost always the cheapest time, especially for observation decks) and during sunset or other peak hours," Frommer states.
Additionally, Tuesday was found to be the most cost-effective day for sightseeing, while weekends and Mondays saw higher prices. "Turns out Tuesday is the cheapest day of the week to sightsee, with prices spiking over the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and on Monday. That last bit surprised me. I guess more folks are expanding long weekend stays to include the week's first workday," Frommer adds.
Sightseeing Passes: Navigating the New Norms
Sightseeing pass systems are also adapting to dynamic pricing. CityPass now offers tiered passes, with some including prime-time entry options. "CityPass now offers different levels of passes, some of which feature prime-time entry (the Empire State Building at sunset, for instance). Other levels of the pass require visitors to go in 'off' hours," Frommer explains.
Go City pass users may encounter supplemental fees during peak visitation times, and many attractions require advance bookings for pass holders. "If you opt for the Go City pass, a supplemental fee may be required to see the attraction during high visitation hours, and many attractions require advance bookings from pass holders," Frommer clarifies.
The Impact on Travelers and Budgeting
The shift to AI-driven pricing significantly impacts travel budgeting. "Bottom line: If you thought creating a vacation budget was difficult before, it just got exponentially worse. Thanks to AI's ability to scour historic buying data and slice-and-dice it down to the hour of each day, travelers across the globe will soon be charged the highest price for tickets that the bots have determined the market will support," Frommer warns.
This necessitates a change in travel planning, with visitors needing to schedule popular attractions during off-peak hours to save money. "Which may mean we have to shift our thinking about itineraries, scheduling the most popular attractions at the least popular times," Frommer suggests.
The Value of Expert Guidance
In this complex pricing landscape, expert travel advice becomes more critical. "And the current state of affairs should make relying on Frommer's guidebooks—which don't just tell you where to go, but give you strategies for saving—a smarter buy than ever before," Frommer concludes.
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