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Why do hotels not have a level 13?

Early tall-building designers, fearing a fire on the 13th floor, or fearing tenants' superstitions about the rumor, decided to omit having a 13th floor listed on their elevator numbering. This practice became commonplace, and eventually found its way into American mainstream culture and building design.



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With that said, some of NYC's most famous buildings do have 13th floors. The Empire State Building has one. So does the Flatiron, as did the Twin Towers. One World Trade Center includes it, as do all Hilton International hotels.

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Some accommodation providers have tried to prevent possible mischief by removing 420 as a room number entirely. Over the years other hotel guests have noticed other attempts by hotels to circumvent the enthusiasm of stoners for the number 420.

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Trump skipped the 13th floor for superstition's sake and a few more for marketing's sake. There are 43 floors, but the elevators go up to 46. Or take the Trump International Hotel and Tower, the hotel and residential building on Columbus Circle that was, pre-Trump, the 44-story Gulf & Western office building.

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As travelling salesmen, the founders of The Gideons International knew a thing or two about life on the road. They understood that people, far from home, might seek comfort or solace in the familiar words of the Bible. By 1908, they began placing Bibles in hotel rooms.

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Ever wonder why you've never stayed in a hotel room on the 13th floor? The answer is simple: The floor doesn't exist. It all comes down to triskaidekaphobia, or the fear of the number 13.

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On the flip side, the iconic Empire State Building does have a 13th floor. Triskaidekaphobic tenants aside, for 40 years, it stood as the tallest building in the world (1931–1972), holding the record longer than any of the other eight buildings that held it during the last century.

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