A new Trump International Hotel & Tower opened Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada, and the twisting structure soars a whopping 69 stories high over the city. Or does it? Despite Trump Hotels' official press release claiming the building is 69 stories tall, the city's zoning permit shows that the building is a mere 63 stories tall above ground, CBC News reports.
The penthouse is nevertheless reached by pressing "69" in the elevator — the developers skipped floor 13 as well as each floor ending in 4, due to the fact that the number is considered unlucky by the Chinese. The company claims that the building is legitimately 69 stories tall, though, by counting underground levels, including parking.
It's not the only truth the company took liberties with: The press release claims the hotel is the first to open in the city "in over six years," despite another hotel opening in 2014. Likewise, it's not the first building the Trump Organization has exaggerated the height of: Trump Tower in Manhattan is only 58 floors, although it is promoted as being 68 to give the top floors higher elevator numbers.
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"Only in the Trump era can you have a debate about how many floors there are," commented former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian.
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