The Truth Behind the 13th Floor: How Superstition Impacts Real Estate (2024)

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The Truth Behind the 13th Floor: How Superstition Impacts Real Estate? ›

It shows how traditions from the past can have a surprising impact on modern architectural decisions. For hotel CEOs and building owners, skipping the 13th floor

In Norse myth, it is believed that the 13th became an unlucky number after the god of mischief Loki appeared uninvited at a dinner party in Valhalla where 12 gods were having a good time. The same day Loki tricked another god Hoor to fire an arrow at another god Balder killing him.

However, during the advent of early skyscrapers, New York architectural critics warned developers not to exceed the height of the 13th floor. These critics insisted that buildings rising above the 13th floor (130 feet or 40 metres) would lead to increased street congestion, ominous shadows and lower property values.

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.

In Western cultures, the apprehension around the number 13 has biblical origins. The Last Supper in Christian tradition, for instance, saw 13 individuals gathered around the table, the 13th guest being Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Thus, 13 became synonymous with treachery and misfortune.

Throughout history, the number 13 has become associated with bad luck and a sense of impending doom. There's even a term for extreme fear of the number: triskaidekaphobia — which if you try to say that out loud, it might be unlucky for your tongue.

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.

Why don't we have room 13 in hotels and hospitals? - Quora. You won't find any building in the U.S. with a 13th floor. Next time you are in an elevator in a building with multiple floors you should look at the floors the elevator goes to. It is an old superstition that 13 is an unlucky number.

While the real estate industry has omitted the 13th floor for years for both superstitious and economic reasons — hotel travelers and condo buyers often eschew 13th-level units, lowering their value — the practice has received pushback from municipalities.

In fact, some possess a genuine fear of the number 13. It's a real phobia known as triskaidekaphobia. It's so real, in fact, that it is the driving force behind many high-rise buildings skipping the 13th floor altogether, going straight from 12 to 14. Some even skip room numbers with 13.

Why is there no room 420 in hotels? ›

You've heard about hotels avoiding number 13 because it's considered unlucky, but some are being forced to remove the number 420 because of its links with cannabis culture. The number 420 refers to April 20 (4/20 in US form), which has become an international holiday for smoking and celebrating marijuana.

Most hotels don't reach the number 666 in any context. Hotels tend to either built out or up, so you're either going to have 66 rooms on a floor, but not get 6 floors on the building, or you'll get 6 or more floors, but not that many rooms.

Numerology often views house number 13 as a symbol of transformation and new beginnings, despite common superstitions associating it with bad luck. 13 is one of the most controversial numbers and often divides the opinion of numerologists.

Origin story

It's hard to know exactly when Friday the 13th became thought of as unlucky, but it likely comes from the Christian religion. For example, in the Bible, Judas—a person who is said to have betrayed Jesus—was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Also in the Bible, many unfortunate things happened on Fridays.

Americans consider 13 to be an unlucky number while the Chinese consider 4 to be an unlucky number. For example, some buildings in East Asia do not have a 4th floor. In the US, buildings do not have a 13th floor.

Fears over the number 13 have led hotels, buildings, and elevator manufacturers to skip the 13th floor. Hotels in cities big and small have seemingly picked up on a longtime superstition. They'll skip over the not-so-lucky number 13 and go straight from floor 12 to floor 14.

Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of 13, a number commonly associated with bad luck in Western culture. While fear of the number 13 can be traced back to medieval times, the word triskaidekaphobia itself is of recent vintage, having been first coined by Coriat (1911; Simpson and Weiner 1992).