Winners of the treasure hunt were presented with a mini Moët medallion which can be redeemed in the machine for a bottle of bubbles. The grand prize was a 3-litre Jéroboam of Moët & Chandon Brut – which is a bit too large to be delivered by the hotel's vending machine, but was the perfect way to mark the new addition.
The innovative champagne dispenser is the first in the state of Louisiana, but is relatively late to the party in terms of button-delivered bubbles.
A little closer to home, The Star casino on Australia's Gold Coast has boasted a coin operated Moet & Chandon machine since last year. The machine provides quart bottles and sipping cups at $29 a pop.
While they might be scarce in New Zealand, unusual vending machines can be found around the world.
In Belgium, it's not unusual to come across vending machines dispensing cans of Jupiler beer - and in Japan, almost anything can be obtained from coin-operated kiosks.
As Matt Heath observed on a recent trip for Herald Travel through Shinjuku station, Tokyo, "the only thing stopping underage drinking is a rule".
Unlike Japan, it appears the New Orleans Ritz Carlton cannot rely on the honesty of visitors - its champagne dispenser only operates on tokens obtained from the hotel bars.
Though this takes the edge off the intended convenience of the machine, it appears guests are still drawn to the novelty of bubbles on demand.
One word of caution: you might want to wait a moment before opening that freshly dispensed bottle of bubbly.
