The highest price at the box office and yet the highest availability: The success of Dynamic Pricing in Termy Szaflary.
Context
Termy Szaflary is one of the first thermal facilities in Podhale, located in the town of Szaflary. The facility is distinguished by its unique thermal water: the water filling the pool basins of Terme Szaflary is characterized by the best mineralization among the waters used for recreational purposes in the Podhale region, which is their main health and image advantage.
Despite its historical position and unique water qualities, Szaflary Thermal Baths faced the following challenges:
- Size and length of service: Szaflary Thermal Spa is the most intimate thermal facility in Podhale. In addition, being one of the first, it is market-mature - which requires constantly soliciting the attention of customers with newer and larger competitors.
- The high cost of running a leisure activity means that the prices to date were at a fairly high level.
- Proximity and intensity of competition - The facility is located in close proximity to other, often more extensive, thermal complexes. The customer has a lot of freedom to change the purchase decision at the last minute. As a result, Termy Szaflary needed a tool that would effectively motivate to buy in advance.
- Seniors and “locals” - Apart from the high season, Termy has a significantly higher share of two target groups: seniors and local residents.
All of these factors make price list based on simple rules was insufficient to effectively maximize revenue and compete effectively with neighboring, more modern facilities. Hence the decision to implement Dynamic Pricing Droplabs.
Solution and results
Szaflary thermal baths maintained an advanced pricing policy even before the implementation of full Dynamic Prices. Since December 2023, they used the so-called Rule-Based Pricing strategy as part of the Droplabs platform, which represented a significant improvement over the static price list. As part of this strategy, prices varied depending on the day of the week, and the price of an online ticket was always lower than at the box office. In addition, rules have been set up that automatically raise the price in the online channel under certain conditions (e.g. the day before the deadline).
After a year and a half of activities under Rule-Based Pricing and observing the positive effects of this strategy, Termy Szaflary decided to go one step further. In the holiday of 2025, it was decided to launch the algorithmic Dynamic Price Droplabs.
The Droplabs team carried out an in-depth analysis of the data, enriched with the knowledge and intuition of the managers of Termi. Based on this, new strategic price ranges were recommended for each type of ticket — determining the minimum price online and the maximum price at the box office. Droplabs algorithms, within these ranges, automatically decide definitively at what point and by how much to raise the ticket price for the chosen date.
Dynamic Pricing Droplabs is an advanced revenue management model based on proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This system adjusts the price of the ticket in real time to the expected inclination of the customer to buy, always within a predetermined price range.
The algorithm, among other things, by analyzing historical data and aggregated customer behavior, automatically raises the price for a given date only if it identifies that this change will not cause a decrease in interest in the offer. Crucially for building trust, the price is always the same for all customers and never automatically drops — eliminating the frustration associated with price uncertainty, known for example from airline bookings.
Such a mechanism allows for a simple and transparent message for the guests of Terme Szaflary:
“Buy earlier, pay less: the earlier you make a purchase, the greater the chance of taking advantage of the lowest possible price for your preferred date.”
As a result, the highest prices are paid by those customers for whom buying at the checkout at the last minute is a conscious choice. Price-sensitive customers, on the other hand, can enjoy a very low price - not possible to offer in the case of a rigid price list.
Droplabs algorithms are individually tailored to the specifics of each object. In the process of dynamic pricing, they take into account an advanced set of data, including: weather forecast, historical and current sales trends, configuration of days off and long weekends, as well as aggregated customer behavior in the online store in the context of these external factors.
Very quickly, because already after the first two weeks there were clear positive signals of the introduction of a new pricing strategy. The results for the first 3 months, containing data from both the high holiday season and the two months of the low season, confirm this in full:
Numerical results for the period 1.8.2025 - 31 October 2025
- 17% increase in attendance
- 33% increase in revenue
- Increase in average revenue per visitor year-on-year by 14%
- An increase in the share of customers who have tickets before they arrive at the venue by almost 4 times. (31% of attendees have a ticket bought before arriving at the Terme - bought earlier than 15 minutes before the ticket is used up - in the same period a year earlier it was only 8%).
- Almost a twofold increase in the number of reviews on Google Maps: 437 reviews left on Google Maps versus 274 reviews compiled in the same period last year.
- Better reviews on Google Maps than a year ago: Average review on Google Maps during this period: 4.6/5 and the year before 4.5/5
- 2,300 marketing consents were collected, giving a potential marketing reach to almost 7,000 visitors.
New price ranges
Let's now take a look at how the price positioning of Term Szaflary has changed during the crucial holiday period of 2025, following the implementation of Dynamic Droplabs Pricing.
Price Comparison: Family Ticket 2+1 Full Day in Podhale
The implementation of Droplabs Dynamic Pricing immediately triggered two seemingly contradictory but strategic changes in price positioning:
- Maximum availability (Minimum price): Family ticket 2+1 full day has become available at a minimum price of PLN 21 lower than before the change. This strategic move has made Termy Szaflary by far the most affordable thermal facility in Podhale for price-sensitive families.
- Maximum ceiling (Box Office Price): At the same time, the price of the same ticket at the box office was increased from PLN 289 to PLN 339 (increase by PLN 50).
This increase in the maximum price is particularly significant because the Szaflary Thermal Baths are an intimate facility with the longest history in the region, but have infrastructural limitations. Despite these restrictions, the new box office price (339 PLN):
- It equaled the price of a similar ticket in the largest thermal baths in the region.
- It was higher than the price of a similar ticket in Terme located in the same town (250 meters from Terme Szaflary).
In this way, Dynamic Pricing secured potential revenue from customers buying impulsively, while opening up better to the budget segment.
Price Comparison: Normal ticket for approx. 2,5h in Podhale
The success of the Dynamic Pricing Droplabs strategy can also be observed by analyzing the financial results achieved by Termy Szaflary in the context of the new price positioning of one of the most popular tickets: Normal for 2.5 hours. Termy Szaflary has proven that intensive communication and a strategy based on mass data processing are a safe way to increase revenues, even with simultaneous discounts for price-sensitive customers:
- Minimum price: The minimum price of a normal 2.5h ticket has been reduced from PLN 89 to PLN 85. Thanks to this, Termy Szaflary was able to offer a stay of 24 zł cheaper than a similar (albeit slightly longer, 3h) ticket in the largest Terme in the region (109 PLN).
- Maximum price: At the same time, the price of the same ticket at the box office of the facility was raised to 119 PLN. This means that the Szaflary Thermal Baths, as an intimate object, were 10 PLN more expensive than the ticket price (3h) in the largest Thermal Baths in the region.
This strategic price “explosion” allows Terme Szaflary to optimize revenues: behavior highest availability for customers looking for buying opportunities in advance or choosing less attractive dates of stay and maximizing revenue from customers who knowingly ignore price communication and buy impulsively at the checkout.
New price ranges in practice
Szaflary thermal baths, even before the implementation of full dynamic prices, maintained some of the higher prices compared to competitors. It should be remembered that the facility is the smallest of its kind in Podhale, measured only on the Polish side of the border with five larger and more developed competitors. Despite strong competition and a historically high price cap, the Dynamic Pricing Droplabs strategy made it possible to safely and significantly increase revenues even beyond this fairly high initial ceiling.
The manager of Terma Anna Targosz and the owners of Terme Katarzyna Gromada and Michał Pawlikowski Bulcyk bet on the proven Droplabs tool. Thanks to this decision and efficient implementation, in the first months of operation there was an increase in the average revenue per guest by 14%.
An analysis of three full months of operation (August, September, October 2025) showed that attendance was higher every month — both in and out of the high season. For all three months attendance increased by a total of 17% compared to last year.
The increase in average revenue per guest and the increase in attendance meant that in terms of revenue, Termy Szaflary achieved a 33% increase in revenue compared to the same period a year earlier.
The attendance conditions of each season are variable and depend on a wide spectrum of factors, including weather, macroeconomic and demographic conditions, holiday configuration, competition strategy and marketing activities.
The implementation of Dynamic Droplabs Prices allowed Terme Szaflary Maximize attendance potential in a given season, mainly due to two strategic effects:
- The system allows you to offer lower prices than would be possible with a static price list, effectively attracting a segment of price-sensitive customers.
- There was a huge 4-fold increase in the share of guests buying tickets in advance. A previously purchased ticket effectively solidifies the client's decision, minimizing the risk that he will change his mind and choose a competitor's offer or another way of spending time.
A key element of success is clear communication in the online channel and already on the spot. The client of Term Szaflary makes an informed purchase decision, because he knows the principles of dynamic pricing and knows how the price can change in the event of a delay. At the same time, the possibility of returning or rescheduling the ticket minimizes the customer's risk of buying in advance at a very favorable price.
The advantage for Terme Szaflary is strategic: They gain a certain customer whose decision has been established, and the chance of being distracted by competitors' advertisements or a sudden change in the weather is significantly lower.
To ensure the effect of safely increasing the average revenue per guest, Termy Szaflary has ensured that even customers who are already in the immediate vicinity of the property (in the parking lot or at the entrance) receive clear and conspicuous information that they can buy a ticket online cheaper than at the box office. Good communication ensures that the customer always has access to the right price for the given date: there are days when the online price “for now” is kept very low.
This action has a double strategic importance for Term:
- It allows you to maximize revenue. If we are sure that buying at the checkout at the maximum price is a conscious decision, then we can successively raise the price at the checkout - while giving more space to the algorithm to raise prices in the online space.
Ensuring that the purchase at the checkout at the maximum price is a conscious decision reduces the risk of customer dissatisfaction with the price.
Dynamic Droplabs Pricing and Seniors
Szaflary thermal baths are an object especially popular with seniors, who appreciate the peace, intimacy and unique atmosphere. Outside the summer season, the senior segment is so relevant that Termy has been offering a specially dedicated ticket for years “Relaxation for the Senior”.
The implementation of Dynamic Pricing has shown that concerns about seniors' reaction to dynamic prices were unfounded. Segment ten works perfectly in the online space, as he actively uses instant messengers and online shopping.
Benefits for Seniors
Thanks to the Dynamic Droplabs Prices, Szaflary Thermal Baths avoided the need for a rigid price increase for the entire group of seniors. Instead:
- The price-sensitive segment can purchase a 4.5-hour ticket in autumn 2025 at last year's prices (the minimum price is only PLN 59, at the box office price of PLN 89).
- This strategy allows Terme to safely raise its average revenue while rewarding loyal and price-sensitive customers with the best online purchase price.
Comparing the period September - October 2025 with the same period a year earlier, Termy observed an increase in attendance among seniors by 15%.
The success of Terme Szaflary shows that Dynamic Droplabs Prices are the right choice for facilities with a large senior base, allowing Simultaneous revenue growth and affordability for this key group of customers.
Proximity to competition and local traffic
The Terme Szaflary facility faces intense local competition. Barely 250 meters further, there is a competitive facility with a similar specificity, which is additionally the first on the route for motorized customers coming from Krakow.
The key objective was to ensure that potential customers, attracted by marketing, referrals or good memories, grounded their purchase decision before reaching a competitor's immediate neighborhood.
The implementation of Droplabs Dynamic Pricing has had an immediate and spectacular effect in this regard: The share of visitors who have a ticket before arriving in the vicinity of Terme Szaflary increased almost 4 times — from 8% to 31%.
Securing demand in advance brings Termo the advantage of maximizing attendance potential:
- Resistance to distraction: A significant proportion of customers consolidate their purchase decision by becoming resistant to marketing actions of competitors or a sudden change of plans (e.g. prolonging a mountain trip at the expense of a visit to Terme due to good weather).
- Szaflary thermal baths gain additional attendance, which goes beyond market conditions, as customers with a ticket are less likely to cancel their planned stay.
Dynamic Prices allowed Terme Szaflary to strategically offer minimum prices starting with levels Significantly lower than the prices of competitors - both the nearest and further (within a radius of 30 km). This is particularly important in the context of local traffic, for which price is often the main selection criterion, making it easier for them to get the most advantageous offer.
Dynamic Pricing Completing the Marketing Cycle
The implementation of Dynamic Pricing Droplabs, combined with better price availability, has resulted not only in financial results, but also in an increase in customer engagement and an improvement in the image of the facility. Compared to the same period last year, Termy Szaflary recorded an almost twofold increase in the number of reviews on Google Maps (437 reviews vs. 274), while improving the average rating from 4.5/5 to 4.6/5. In addition, thanks to an effective data collection strategy, 2,300 new marketing consents were obtained, which gives Terme the potential to reach nearly 7,000 visitors, creating a solid basis for future Retention and demand activation.
summary
The implementation of Dynamic Droplabs Prices at Szaflary Thermal Baths is a classic example of how strategic technology implementation can reverse the negative market conditions of a small and mature facility.
Facing intense competition and high costs, Szaflary Thermal Spa has achieved seemingly contradictory goals: increasing price availability and maximizing revenues.
In conclusion, the thesis substituted at the beginning was fully realized by:
- Revenue Maximization: 14% increase in average revenue per guest
- Demand protection: 4-fold increase in the share of tickets purchased in advance, making Termy resistant to local competition.
- Increase availability: Offer lower minimum prices than before implementation
- Financial overall result increased by 33% - taking into account not only the increase in average revenue per guest but also an increase in attendance by 17%
Through intelligent management of wide price ranges and communication in the online and on-site space, Dynamic Pricing Droplabs allowed Terme Szaflary to safely raise the maximum price, while becoming more affordable for sensitive segments. This strategy not only optimized the financial results, but also improved the image (an increase in the average rating on Google Maps), creating a solid and dynamic basis for further development of the facility in the competitive Podhale market.
