13th floor

     

The levels of a multi-story builing are numbered sequentially, from "one" or "ground" upwards. In some countries, the number 13 is considered unlucky and building owners will sometimes purposefully omit a floor so numbered. Hence, the 13th floor is given the number 14. Even landlords who are not themselves superstitious realize that the desirability of suites on a floor 13 might be compromised because of superstitious tenants, or commercial tenants who worry about losing superstitious customers. Based on an internal review of records, Dilip Rangnekar of Otis Elevators estimates that 85% of the buildings with their elevators do not have a named 13th floor. This is not to say they do not actually have a 13th floor but rather the floor is described in some other way in an attempt to deal with the superstition.

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