The world has been iPod mad for quite some time, what with them being virtually the most essential travel accessory ever, next to passports. About a bazillion hotels now offer in-room iPods for guests, iPod docking stations, iPod download bars, iPod surround sound speaker systems, and other iPod related amenities. iPod madness is quite old hat by now, but what I hadn't seen before today is iPod vending machines in hotels:



[Tip: Press Pause and let the movie fully load before pressing Play again for best results.]

Forget the ice machine; the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton features an iPod vending machine stocked with the a selection of iPods and accessories for guests and random Vegas gawkers. Apparently these machines are quite common in US airports and hotels - AppleInsider blogged sightings a year ago.

My adorable and charming HLV Deepthroat tells me the iPod vending machine has been enjoying its fabulous Vegas lifestyle in the hotel's lobby since November, and that while there is currently no in-room support for iPods, the hotel is planning to rennovate 600 of its 3000 rooms this summer and that technogoodies are likely to be part of the room revamps.



Also on the hilton las vegas horizen: podcasting. The hotel currently broadcasts a Monday radio show called Lunchtime with Ira: Live From the Las Vegas Hilton which includes interviews with celebrities, Vegas politicos and hotel industry henchmen. Host Ira Sternberg is actually very, very funny and the weekly show is pretty varied and interesting. They're looking to port the show to podcast format, which will make interesting podfodder for for hotel mavens, Vegas devotees and celebrity hounds.

This all seems quite cool but terribly unfair. In the UK, no bricks and mortar businesses I know of podcast, virtually nothing except Tesco is open 24 hours, and the best thing you can hope for from a vending machine is a pre-paid Vodaphone. For the record, I'll take an iPod (or a packet of Malteasers) over a Vodaphone any day.