Pricing Strategies - Roundtable // Key Takeaways

In early April, escape room owners from across the globe gathered for a pricing-focused Zolitopia Roundtable. The discussion was honest, practical, and packed with real-life experiences from both veteran and newer operators. Here are the main takeaways from our lively conversation:

Pricing Isn't a Gut Feeling, It's a Framework

I kicked things off by laying out a structured approach to pricing decisions:

• Know Your Competition: Your direct competition isn’t just the escape room down the street. It's any immersive group experience (think arcade arenas, murder mystery nights, immersive quizzes, or interactive darts). Keep an updated spreadsheet of 10–30 local venues and review it at least yearly.

• Know Your Audience (Properly): With the hype gone, the “Escape rooms are for everyone” approach stands less true now. Your real customer base has narrowed over the years, and understanding the who, when, and how of your audience's booking habits is essential to tailoring pricing and marketing.

• Know Your Worth: Your price reflects your perceived value. That includes not just the room quality but everything surrounding it, your website, customer service, reviews, photos, videos, and brand experience. If your visuals don’t match your value, customers won’t either—which is why we’ve previously explored the power of strong imagery in this article.

Dynamic Pricing Is More Than a Buzzword

From off-peak pricing to targeted discounts, dynamic pricing was a hot topic. Some operators have multiple tiers depending on the day of the week, while others use audience-specific offers (students, families, kids). The key? Be intentional. If you lower your price, give it a reason ("introductory offer" or "off-peak special") so it's easier to reset it later without backlash.

💡 One operator shared an interesting strategy where they offer below market prices for large groups only during the weekends. This way they attract larger groups during the most sought after time slots.

Tiered vs. Flat Pricing: The Great Divide

Some operators, swear by tiered pricing to make smaller groups more profitable and encourage larger bookings. Others, have seen success returning to public bookings with flat fees, filling rooms more efficiently. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but the takeaway was clear: test and adapt. Your audience may respond differently than expected.

Segmenting your pricing for target audiences will also up your chances to succesfuly sell to them. It isn’t just good pricing strategy, it’s smart revenue strategy. I unpack more ways to do that in my five ways to increase revenue blog.

Kids' Birthday Parties: A Chaotic Opportunity

Yes, kids can be chaotic and occasionally destructive. But the long-term value is real. Operators noted:

• Kids happily replay rooms.

• One birthday party can spawn six more.

• Parents will pay for convenience (e.g. staff in the room, party bags, venue time).

If you embrace the madness and systemize your offering (and pricing), it can become a surprisingly lucrative revenue stream. Kid-centric bookings can become a whole new revenue stream, as we discussed in another roundtable on additional revenue streams.

Corporate Groups Want a Rock Star Booking Experience

Corporate clients aren’t just booking a room; they’re planning an event. The top-performing venues:

• Rebrand themselves as event venues, not just escape rooms.

• Train a dedicated events coordinator.

• Offer custom packages and upsells (AV, catering, branding, in-room observers).

• Add an event coordination fee to reflect the true scope of work.

Speed, clarity, and confidence are essential. Corporates will pay a premium to not be ghosted or confused.

Want to make your space more attractive to event planners? It starts with relationships, and we unpacked how to build those during the networking and partnerships roundtable.

Midweek Lulls? Get Creative

Lower pricing midweek doesn’t always increase demand. But creative offerings might. Think:

• Weekly event formats (e.g. spooky Fridays with a scare layer)

• Charity partnerships

• Homeschool or field trip group outreach

You’re not just selling a time slot. You’re offering a compelling reason to fill it.

Play With Pricing (Smartly)

One of the most repeated messages: don’t be afraid to experiment. Most customers don’t remember what they paid last time. Owners reported that price changes rarely triggered backlash, and often led to “we should have done this sooner” moments. If something doesn’t work? Change it back. It’s your business.

And if you’re playing with pricing, don’t forget to keep your website aligned—we cover that in this piece.

In Summary

Pricing isn't just about the number on your website. It's about positioning, understanding your audience, managing perception, and adapting to changing behaviours. Whether you’re going flat fee or tiered, public or private, kids or corporates, the key is to stay informed and flexible.

Pricing is a delicate topic that needs deep understanding of your market and your own worth. If you're not sure where to start, feel free to reach out.

Want More? Join the Zolitopia newsletter or Facebook group to get updates on future roundtables. And if you’re coming to Game On 2025, we’ll see you there!