Today we’d like to introduce you to Mick Mac Eoin.
Hi Mick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Ireland and built my career in hospitality, eventually earning a degree in Hotel & Catering Management before moving into hotel and restaurant operations internationally. Hospitality has always been more than just a job to me. I genuinely enjoy the people side of the business, creating experiences, and understanding what makes guests feel welcomed and valued.
My career eventually brought me to the United States through Marriott, and over the years I worked across different areas of hospitality and tourism while building a deep understanding of how hotels operate behind the scenes. During that time, I also saw how much the industry was changing. Hotels were becoming increasingly dependent on large third party booking platforms, and travelers were often overwhelmed by endless options that did not always feel personal or trustworthy.
After settling in Texas with my wife Kari, we started exploring more of the state together, from boutique hotels and Hill Country getaways to unique stays and coastal towns. Kari is a proud Texan, and through her love and knowledge of the state we discovered just how many incredible places and experiences Texas has to offer. We realized there were so many quality hotels, resorts, glamping sites, and small towns that many people either overlooked or simply never discovered.
At the same time, we saw an opportunity to create something that could better support both travelers and hospitality businesses.
That idea eventually became Direct Booking Club.
We started building the company from the ground up ourselves. Kari returned to school to strengthen the digital marketing side of the business, while I focused on hospitality partnerships, relationship building, and industry outreach. Over the last two years, we have invested our own savings, spent countless late nights learning systems and marketing platforms, attended travel and tourism events across Texas, and slowly built relationships within the hospitality industry.
Direct Booking Club is built around a simple idea: helping travelers discover quality hotels, resorts, glamping sites, and travel experiences while encouraging direct booking relationships with the businesses themselves. We wanted to create something more personal, more local, and more relationship driven than the typical online booking experience.
We are still in the early stages of the journey, but seeing the response from hotel partners, tourism leaders, and travelers throughout Texas has been incredibly encouraging. For us, this business represents not only a professional goal, but something we have genuinely built together as a family.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, although I think that is true for most businesses. From the outside, people often only see the final idea or the social media side of things, but there is a huge amount of work, uncertainty, persistence, and relationship building behind creating something from scratch.
One of the biggest challenges has simply been building a business while balancing everyday life and full time work. Kari and I have spent the last two years investing our own time, energy, and savings into Direct Booking Club while continuing to work and manage normal responsibilities outside the business. A lot of the work has happened late at night, early in the morning, and on days off.
Another challenge has been learning how to build and grow a modern online business properly. While I have decades of hospitality experience, there is still a steep learning curve when it comes to digital marketing, CRM systems, automation, social media strategy, and building an online audience from the ground up. We have had to teach ourselves many aspects of the business as we go.
Building trust and relationships within the travel industry also takes time. When you are building a new company, especially one centered around partnerships and relationships, people first need to understand who you are and what you genuinely stand for. Direct Booking Club is based heavily on relationships with hotels, resorts, tourism organizations, and travel businesses across Texas, and those relationships are not built overnight. We have spent a lot of time attending tourism events, reaching out to hospitality leaders, listening, learning, and slowly building credibility and trust within the industry. Even now, there are still many people across Texas who are only beginning to learn about Direct Booking Club and what we are trying to build.
There have definitely been moments of frustration and doubt along the way. Like many entrepreneurs, we have had periods where progress felt slower than we hoped. But at the same time, every meaningful conversation, every positive response from a hotel partner, and every small milestone has reinforced why we started this in the first place.
I think one thing the journey has taught us is that building something worthwhile takes patience. We are trying to build Direct Booking Club the right way, with genuine relationships, long term trust, and a strong foundation rather than chasing quick growth. That approach may take longer, but we believe it will ultimately create something much more meaningful and sustainable.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Direct Booking Club?
Direct Booking Club is a Texas based travel membership focused on helping travelers discover quality hotels, resorts, glamping sites, activities, and unique stays across Texas while encouraging direct bookings with the businesses themselves.
For $12 per year, members receive access to weekly travel offers, getaway ideas, and added value from participating hospitality partners throughout Texas. The goal is simple. If a member books even one trip or stay through Direct Booking Club, the savings and added value should easily outweigh the annual membership cost.
What makes Direct Booking Club different is that we are focused on direct relationships rather than acting as another large booking platform. We do not charge hotels commissions or booking fees, and all bookings are made directly with the participating property or business.
A major part of our focus is helping travelers discover places and experiences they may not have otherwise found, from nearby Hill Country and coastal getaways to more adventurous Texas destinations like Big Bend and other hidden parts of the state. That can include hotels, cabins, glamping stays, attractions, outdoor activities, family experiences, and weekend road trip ideas throughout Texas. We want to support both local Texas hospitality businesses and the growing drive market of travelers looking to explore more of what Texas has to offer.
Over the last two years, we have spent a great deal of time building relationships throughout the Texas hospitality and tourism industry, attending travel conferences and tourism events, and working closely with hotel and tourism professionals across the state.
One thing I am especially proud of is that Direct Booking Club has been built completely from the ground up by my wife Kari and myself. We are still in the early stages, and many people across Texas are only beginning to learn about us, but the response from both travelers and hospitality professionals has been extremely encouraging so far.
At its core, Direct Booking Club is about helping people travel more, discover more of Texas, and support hospitality businesses through direct bookings rather than third party platforms.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
For work related learning, I regularly follow organizations and publications connected to the Texas hospitality and tourism industry, including the Texas Travel Alliance, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, and Texas Highways Magazine.
I also listen to hospitality and business podcasts like What I Like About Texas and Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast, and spend a lot of time learning through platforms like HubSpot, Shopify, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator while building Direct Booking Club.
Organizations like the SBA and SCORE were also very helpful during the early stages of building the business.
Pricing:
- $12 per year membership for travelers. Free for hotel and travel partners to participate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.directbookingclub.com
- Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/DirectBookingClub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirectBookingClub
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/direct-booking-club
