Hotels often skip the 14th floor (meaning they go from 12 to 14, omitting the physical 13th floor) due to triskaidekaphobia, the fear or superstition surrounding the number 13, which is considered unlucky in Western cultures. Developers skip it for marketing and economic reasons, as many people feel uneasy staying on or near the 13th floor, making it less appealing and potentially impacting property value. The floor physically exists but is renumbered as 14, 12A, or simply left out of the elevator panel to provide comfort and avoid issues with superstitious guests, while in Asian cultures, the 4th floor is often skipped for similar reasons (sounds like "death").
In such buildings, floors after 12 are nominally incorrect, with their labeled floor being one higher than the actual floor. Many ships, including cruise liners have omitted having a 13th deck due to triskaidekaphobia. Instead, the decks are numbered up to 12 and skip straight to number 14.
Due to triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, many hotels and high-rise buildings give the 13th floor a different name or number to avoid scaring guests. Ever wonder why you've never stayed in a hotel room on the 13th floor? The answer is simple: The floor doesn't exist.
But thanks to widespread fear and superstition surrounding the number 13, known as triskaidekaphobia, in American and Western European culture, many architects still opt to omit the number, skipping straight to the 14th floor or renaming the 13th floor instead.
Unreasoned fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia. Due to this fear, some tall buildings have resorted to skipping the "thirteenth floor", either by numbering it "14" (though it's really still the thirteenth floor) or by designating the floor as "12A", or 12B and 14A or something similar.
It all comes down to triskaidekaphobia, or the fear of the number 13! When hotels first became popular in the 1920s, many people thought the number 13 was unlucky. As a result, instead of designating their 13th floor as such, hotels just ignored it. Their 13th floor would be labelled as the 14th and so on.
The 13th floor is there physically, of course, but it goes unmentioned, wiped away by a century-old superstition in architecture. This odd omission isn't just a local quirk; it's part of a longstanding fear of the number 13 – a fear so common it even has a name: triskaidekaphobia, the fear of “13”.
Hotel rooms have become another, forcing some hotels to phase out the room number altogether. This is partly to stop the stealing of room numbers but mainly to prevent the rooms being used as "hot boxes" for cannabis parties. Room 420 is not alone in being stigmatised.
The number 13 may be associated with some famous but undesirable dinner guests. In Norse mythology, the god Loki was 13th to arrive at a feast in Valhalla, where he tricked another attendee into killing the god Baldur. In Christianity, Judas — the apostle who betrayed Jesus — was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.
The number 13 evokes many superstitions. As you know, the number 13 is supposed to bring bad luck. In fact, some of our customers suffer from a phobia of the number 13, soberly named triskaidekaphobia.
If possible, do not accept a room on the ground floor. The second floor is better, but the third or fourth floors are considered optimal. Rooms should be above the ground to make access from the window or balcony more difficult, but not so high that emergency services cannot access the room in case of fire.
Most common items left behind
This is rare in modern architecture — the practice of omitting the 13th floor in hotels dates back to the early 20th century and is due to a combination of superstitions and fire concerns.
Across the Atlantic, many American buildings, not just hotels, skip the 13th floor due to these lingering superstitions. Even the architectural plans for some buildings go as far as labelling the 13th floor as 'M', the 13th letter of the alphabet, to sidestep potential unease.
The number 13 is considered unlucky in many cultures, and hotels often skip Room 113 (and even the 13th floor altogether) to avoid discomfort for guests.
Fear of the number 13 has a specifically recognized phobia, triskaidekaphobia, a word first recorded in 1911. The superstitious sufferers of triskaidekaphobia try to avoid bad luck by keeping away from anything numbered or labelled thirteen.
However, within the framework of biblical numerology, the number 13 holds a much deeper and more significant meaning. In the Bible, 13 is frequently associated with rebellion, lawlessness, and apostasy—a departure from divine order and an embodiment of defiance against God's authority.
From the 1890s, a number of English language sources relate the "unlucky" thirteen to an idea that at the Last Supper, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table.er of English language sources relate the "unlucky" thirteen to an idea that at the Last Supper, Judas, the disciple who ...
Additionally, according to a 2024 survey of 1,376 hotel managers by Wellness Heaven, which asked them which items are most commonly stolen, towels top the list, with 79.2 percent reporting guests nipping the cosy threads. They were followed by bathrobes, hangers, pens, and cosmetics, rounding out the top five.
Whether in room numbers, floor labels or even promotional brochures, it is skipped with intent. This is triskaidekaphobia - the fear of the number 13 - a superstition so widespread that it influences how hotels are designed and how guests behave.
420, 4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is cannabis culture slang for cannabis consumption, especially smoking around the time 4:20 p.m. (16:20). It also refers to cannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20 (4/20 in U.S. date form).
A: No. Actors will not touch you. Please be respectful and do not touch them. Incidental and unintentional contact may occur.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th. The word "paraskevidekatriaphobia" was devised by Dr. Donald Dossey who told his patients that "when you learn to pronounce it, you're cured!"
However, unlike those Asian home-buying superstitions, there isn't a clear explanation for why the 13th floor is bad luck. Some say it dates back to the Bible, as Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Others say it's because there are only 12 months in a year, so 13 represents unfamiliarity and the unknown.