Black Chip Travel is proud to be Kentuckiana’s only casino marketing company.
Our family owned business is operated by siblings Lisa Michel Barnes and David Michel.
Our company was established in 1988, but we had a “stake in the game” well before that. Our grandparents took a gamble and started a “Junket” business in the late 1960’s. Not only were they the first “Junket Rep” in KY, but one of very few throughout the country. The big win though goes to our mom, Jan Michel, who took over her parents’ business in the early 80’s, and upped the ante. She developed a successful business that thrived on her commitment to provide friendly, dependable, top-notch customer service. We are honored to continue that tradition. The biggest compliment we get every week, is hearing our guests tell us they referred the person sitting next to them in the casino, their family and friends to us. We make booking your casino vacation an easy, stress-free process! Whether you are flying, driving or cruising, let Black Chip Travel do the work for you. Don’t leave it to chance….Make Black Chip Travel your first call, and we’ll do the rest.
Black Chip Travel represents casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, Penn Entertainment and Boyd Gaming. We are your Booking Agent/Marketing Executive for Caesars and MGM charter flights. Whether it’s a charter flight or an individual trip, we can book any offer you receive directly from the casino, and the offer is always the same when booked through us. Planning your trip with Black Chip Travel means getting your requests addressed and your questions answered. For our premium players, we offer “specialty trips”, via commercial flights to many destinations. We book Diamond Elite and Seven Star annual retreats. We work with all the major cruise lines, and will make your cruise planning easy. No need for long hold times, waiting for someone in a cruise line call center to assist you. If you don’t have a cruise offer, we can have one created….and we can also book your family and friends who aren’t casino patrons.
It really is one stop shopping when you rely on us! You don’t need multiple contacts at multiple casinos, with multiple companies or cruise lines! When it comes to a fun casino vacation, do yourself a favor and let our decades of experience work for you.
Meet our team
Lisa Michel Barnes
Lisa started in this business in 1988, after a few years of working as a radio news reporter and anchor.
I have two children, and am the proud "Leelee" to two grandsons. My favorite things to do are spend time with my family and friends, travel and visit new places. My husband, Donnie, and I love to cruise. A beach is our happy place. I also enjoy reading and playing Bingo (both live and online). When at the casino, you will usually find me at a video poker or slot machine....and of course, hanging out with our awesome Black Chip Travel friends.
David Michel
David began working with Black Chip Travel in 2000 after 2 years of being a casino host at Caesars Indiana.
I enjoy cooking, UK basketball, watching the Chicago Cubs, and going to the Louisville Bats games with my wife, Jodi. I also coach high school baseball. When at the casinos, I like playing Texas Hold’em and occasionally video poker and some table games.