EMPIRE STATE BUILDING OBSERVATORY EXPERIENCE

In 2015, the Empire State Realty Trust began to reimagine the building’s famed Observatory. The project would reclaim a street-level storefront on 34th Street to create a dedicated Observatory entrance and change the way over 4 million annual guests experience the building.



Research showed that people loved the building and hungered for a deeper connection to it. Long queues and wait times diminished the experience. The project would have to completely change both the reality and perception of the wait, while improving every aspect of the experience. It would have to be cutting-edge, while respecting the vintage Art Deco building.



Our goal was to deliver an authentic, Instagram-ready experience grounded in the building’s history and inherent optimism. Working with its partners, Thinc transformed the least popular part of a visit—the queue—into an immersive museum experience with cinematic-quality films, 360º digital environments, interactive screens, models, photographs, and artifacts depicting the building’s history and mystique. Dwell times in each gallery would deliver a measured rate of arrivals at the elevators, reducing and often eliminating a perceptible wait. The 80th floor has been transformed from queuing to an additional observation floor in its own right, delivering spectacular views before arriving at the 86th and 102nd floor observatories, further relaxing the pace of the visit. With new, floor-to-ceiling windows and the removal of every possible obstruction, this renewed crown jewel offers unequalled 360-degree views of New York City.



In 2022, the Empire State Observatory Experience was named TripAdvisor’s #1 national and #3 Worldwide attraction.



The renewed Empire State Building experience was completed with contributions from Beneville Studios, IDEO, Squint/Opera, and a host of other consultants and production partners.