Really good location, but unless you are using the pool or gym not the best value
First the plus points, the Essex Inn has a great pool, and for the size of the hotel the gym (with Life Fitness equipment) is very good too. The WiFi works throughout the hotel so one can relax in say one of the sunloungers by the pool and still be connected.
The hotel is in a great location; everything seems to be walking distance.
Service was fine, but not great; for example, when another bed was requested, accompanying extra towels were not provided, and when these were requested they took ages to arrive.
I was less impressed with the rooms. The airconditioning is old and outdated and doesn't control the temperature very well. This is made worse by the fact that if you go at a particular time of year, you can only select heating (or cooling). In our case, as it was October, even though it was really pretty warm, we couldn't cool the room and had to open the window which made the room noisy.
For what the hotel is charging, the bathrooms really need updating. The bath surround in my room was a horrible linoleum/vinyl, and the temperature of the water could not be thermostatically controlled.
Overall, if you won't be using the pool or gym a lot, I would look elsewhere as other hotels in the area such as the Best Western provide larger and better equipped rooms. If you do want a nice pool and gym, this makes up for the shortcomings of the rooms.