preloaddefault-post-thumbnail

Time is money and in this day and age who can afford to waste it in line, interacting with another person? Buoyed by this knowledge, the automated-retail industry has really let its imagination run wild. Check out the world’s top five extraordinary vending machines.

The Semi-Automatic – The Mondrian South Beach hotel

Vending machines aren’t very common in 5-star Miami hotels. They affect the chic vibe somewhat, but this is no ordinary vending machine. For, among other things, it dispenses a coupon for a $90,000 Bentley (delivered, naturally) and $350 gold handcuffs. Oh, and $25 fake eyelashes.


Gold To Go gold ATM – Shopping centers, airports, hotels and casinos

With banks, stock markets and economies in crisis throughout the world you never know when you’ll need to invest in some good old-fashioned assets. The gold rush lives on with branded bars dispensed from an Abu Dhabi hotel, London shopping center and Frankfurt Airport.

Let’s Pizza – Shopping centers, airports

A freshly baked pizza for $5.50? Mamma Mia! And this isn’t just some oven-baked frozen affair. Through a small window purchasers can watch their pizza dinner brought to life – from the whipping up of fresh dough, the smothering of the base in tomato sauce and cheese, to the topping with ham, bacon or vegetables.

Bikedispenser – Various Dutch cities

Boris Bikes – Netherlands-style. The Dutch are famous for being bike-mad. It’s said they own as many as 12 million. Intercity train travelers who’ve left their bike at home can hire a well-oiled machine outside the station for small change.

Sprinkles Automat – Beverly Hills

Sprinkles, the legendary Beverly Hills bakery emporium, bought their neighboring store so they could install the world’s first cupcake-vending machine. Hollywood starlets can now get a hold of a variety of cupcakes (including ones for their precious pooches) 24 hours a day from the ATM-styled machine.

Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…

(Image: Mondrian South Beach, Gold To Go, catorze14, fietsberaad, Sprinkles)

About the author

Brett AckroydBrett hopes to one day reach the shores of far-flung Tristan da Cunha, the most remote of all the inhabited archipelagos on Earth…as to what he’ll do when he gets there, he hasn’t a clue. Over the last 10 years, London, New York, Cape Town and Pondicherry have all proudly been referred to as home. Now it’s Copenhagen’s turn, where he lends his travel expertise to momondo.com.

Explore more articles