Free personal shopping service

IT'S A FREE WORLD:KILKENNY TOURISM is launching a free personal shopping service called "Style in the City" to attract more visitors to Kilkenny pre-Christmas.

It says this is the first time a county in Ireland has launched a free personal shopping service to boost local tourism.

Kilkenny’s official stylist and personal shopper is former model and Kilkenny native Karen Morrissey.

The service is available to overnight guests of 10 participating hotels between now and December 23rd.

Visitors can book a private two-hour personal styling and shopping session and learn how to dress to best suit their shape. They will also receive a specially tailored shopping excursion to hunt for clothes, bargains and Christmas gifts.

Visit kilkennytourism.ie for more details.

Catch: the service is booked on a first-come first-served basis and subject to availability, so the advice is to book early to avoid disappointment.

Take note: if you book and confirm your session with the hotel, but do not attend, a no-show fee of €50 will be charged to your credit card.

BEFORE YOU choose a hotel, check to see who is offering the best freebies to sweeten the deal.

There could be room upgrades, parking, meals, bonus airline miles, goodie bags or tickets to visitor attractions. The best deals are in places where the competition between hotels is fiercest.

For example, on dealbase.com which lists hotels all over the world, the seductively named “vacation stimulus package” at the four-star Wyndham hotel in Orlando, Florida (where prices start at $49, about €36, per night), gives you two nights free when you pay for two nights.

There are plenty of freebies in hotels in the centre of cities like London, Paris and New York but they tend to be less generous. On dealbase.com the three-star Eastgate Tower hotel in New York, which charges $189 (€141) a night, gives a free metro card and copy of Time Out New York.

The three-star Hotel Mela in New York is giving free Martinis and breakfast with stays costing $199 (€149) a night.

Catch:read the small print to check if there are extra handling fees.

Take note: other discount websites include hoteldiscount.com,hoteldeals.ie, laterooms.com, and venere.com and lastminute.com.

TRAVELLING IN a group can have its perks, particularly if you appoint yourself tour leader. If you organise a group to go on holiday, some tour companies will allow the group leader to travel free.

You can accept the freebie as a reward for all your hard work or spread the savings out amongst the group. Every tour operator’s group policy varies but most require you to put together a group of at least 10 paying individuals before you’ll get a free place or substantial discount.

Travel247.ie offers free group leader places depending on the size of your group, the destination and airline. With groups of 16 e-travel.ie gives one free place on its cruises, two with groups of 32 and four with groups of 64.

Topflight’s “Ski for Schools” programme is offering group leaders a free place on their inspection tour in March/April on booking a minimum of 30 paying students to any of the ski resorts in their brochure (visit topflightsportsforschools.ie).

Catch:don't lord your freeloader status about too much or there could be tension within the group.

Take note:while organising the holiday, remember that many hotels, private transport companies and tourist attractions will give discounts or free places to large groups but you may have to pre-book.

* Found a freebie on holiday? Email emorgan@irishtimes.com