63 replies to this topic

[connie]

He's not taking the third guest to the second room, he's taking the second guest to the second room. Guest #1 and #13 are in the first room.

[BoilingOil]

Hotel - Back to the Logic Puzzles
13 men came into a hotel with 12 rooms and everybody wanted his own room. The bellboy solved this problem.
He asked the thirteenth guest to wait a moment with the first guest in room number 1. So in the first room there were two people. The bellboy took the third guest to room number 2, the fourth to number 3, ... and the twelfth guest to room number 11. Then he returned to room number 1 and took the thirteenth guest to empty room number 12.
How can everybody have his own room?

The thirteen men are not 13 guests, because the second was the bellboy. Why else would he omit giving the second guest a room?


BoilingOil

[Vicky86]

It is easy. Thirteen peopple enter the hotel....12 guests and the bellboy, who helps each guest to settle in his room.

[icthy]

Where is guest number two?

Before I read the solution (which was a total cop-out) I came up with a few things:

Guest number 1 was a pregnant woman and "guest number 2" was her unborn child.

One of the "guests" was a mule, horse, donkey, or etc. and and "roomed" in a stable outside.

Guest number 2 was led to a bar and got very drunk, conveniently passing out.

The bell boy led guest number two "to his room," murdering him on the way and stashing him in a disused service elevator. (A room just for him!)

... I didn't really expect any of those to be the answer, but they all turned out to be a lot better than the actual solution.

[icthy]

Also:

The "thirteen men not thirteen guests" approach works until you realize that there was a thirteenth guest, meaning there had to be twelve previous guests.

[Sillyfaerie]

Guest number 2 would have been quite disgusted over being ignored the entire time and taken his business to another hotel which was more attentive to it's guests.

[mangulo13]

It never says that all 13 people came in at once. You assume that they do but it would be impossible for them to.

[vankoy]

Too bad the forth guest wasn't taken to a room, just the number 3, so he is stuck out in the hall, which is it's own room.

[xlilmizzattitudex]

there are 2 girls coz it says how can everyone have his own room so the girls share a room which leaves 11 people to 11 rooms and 2 girls sharin a room

[logic seeker]

took me a minute to notice that its impossible