Anacreontes celebrate Luton hotel hat trick with Linton's success

Mina Anacreonte, 47, spent four long years preparing The Linton Hotel, Tennyson Road, ready for its grand opening, hoping to inspire other entrepreneurs to continue their dreams and not to give up.

Her new venture is the third hotel in the town to be owned by her family, and Mina would now love to know about other female hoteliers in the Luton’s rich history.

She said: “We actually first noticed the original manor house fronting on London Road and fell in love; it was only when we looked around the property that we realised how big it was, and that there was a very large extension on Tennyson Road side.

“The biggest challenge was keeping motivated for four years. We bought the building in 2013 and a couple of times I felt like giving up due to all the things that went wrong, and because of the time spent away from my two girls, Francesca and Federica – at some points it seemed like it would be impossible to ever get the hotel open!”

Thankfully, the family’s hard work and perseverance paid off, and the hotel finally opened its doors in October.

Mina now plans to open a Spa in Linton, while she is proud to be a hotelier alongside her father, who owns the Luton Hotel Residence, and her brother, Franco, who owns The Icon Hotel.

The businesses are part of the Anacreonte Group, formed by her father, Antonio, who has owned and run businesses in Luton since 1967.

Mina said: “My father and Franco are incredibly inspiring and towers of strength.

“I love everything about my job - the long hours, daily challenges, the general public, and most of all, my fantastic team of staff.”