Myself and my partner booked a night at ths hotel as friends of ours were getting married there. We recieved a discount for being part of the wedding party, the room was just under ?80. On arrival things did not seem so bad, the receptionist was pleasant and we got a room in the main part of the hotel. The room was a bit out of date but it was clean. There was no iron in the rooms which was inconvienient as we were there for the whole day and had to change several times. The main problems started between our friends wedding dinner and the reception. We had around 20 minutes whilst the reception room was prepared so we decided to go back to the room to freshen up. On leaving the room again the door would not lock. After trying for several minutes we went downstairs to tell reception, the lady spoke to us like children and advised us to try again, explaining as if to a toddler, how to lock a door. We went up and tried again, and failed. so we phoned down to the receptionist. She came up 10 minutes later and found that 'SHOCK HORROR' we were not just being stupid, the door really didnt lock!!! She suggested we put our valuables in the safe downstairs, i suggested a room with a locking door but 'apparently' they were fully booked. I explained all my belongings are valuable to me and iwould not leave anything in an unlocked room. She tried to convince me that the hotel was secure with CCTV but what she didnt know was I had arrived and checked in alone and my partner had arrived half hour later, walked in un-noticed and came straight up without being noticed or questioned through the side bar door!! She then sent another staff member up, who had terrible body odour, he could not fix the door, so he then came up with the 'Manager'. They spent a good 20 minutes trying to fix the door, before going away and coming back with a screw driver. They informed us there was no maintenance man and the manager showed my partner a way of shutting the door by lifting the whole door up to meet the lock! I said this was not acceptable, firstly, by this point we should have been an hour into our friends wedding reception, secondly, why should my partner risk injury by lifting a door to lock it. I asked the manager if there was anything he could do for us as our room was not up to standard, i was shocked when he told me 'well you can check out if you like', by this point it was gone 9pm and he knew full well we were with the wedding party. He then said ' we dont do discounts, times are hard'. My response was ' i am not surprised as your customer service is shocking'. Even if he had offered us a free drink at the bar it would have been a goodwill gesture! We then headed down to the reception party as he obviously was not going to pleasant only to discover that the party that was due to start between 7.30 and 8pm (guests were invited for this time) had not yet started (at gone 9pm) as the staff had not prepared the room yet!! Eventually we got into the room and the party started but at nearly ?10 for 2 drinks (small wine and 1 pint) not many people could afford to have a good drink!!! Great wedding due to an amazing couple, friends and family but the hotel could easily have ruined everyones day!!

After our disasterous stay here II wrote the following e-mail to the manager, it explains it all...... Dear Mr. Accomando, Last year I spent a wonderful weekend at the Essex County Hotel with my husband. We both work hard and are also carers for my disabled parents so a peaceful break is essential to us both. We had the best time, everything was just perfect and on our return home I e-mailed to congratulate you and inform you of our utmost satisfaction. We decided to plan an Easter break this year and had no hesitation in booking a three night stay at the Essex County. We were really looking forward to it. We arrived on Friday 21st March and were greeted by a very efficient and pleasant receptionist and we went too our room. Room 110 was allocated to us. On entering the room our disappointment began. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls, there was damp on the walls where the single bed would be placed. The curtain hooks were missing and the bed linen had burn holes in. The shower nozzle came off in my hand and generally the room was very “tired” and in need of attention. However, we decided not to make a fuss, it was apparent that the receptionist was very busy, she was in the process of trying to sort out a problem with a guest who I gleaned was a regular visitor. He had apparently been moved from one room to another without his knowledge and she was trying to find the whereabouts of his personal belongings. We sat in the reception area reading newspapers but after a very short time had to return to our room as we were so cold. We then went into Southend and returned late afternoon hoping to enjoy a nice meal in the hotel restaurant that evening. At 8pm we went to the restaurant, we were the only people in there. The waiter (who was also the barman) took our order and brought us a drink. We did not mind at all that the meal would be at least 30 minutes arriving, we had all evening to relax. After a short while we were both very cold, my husband had to return to our room to fetch warm jumpers for us both. Our starters arrived, mussels for me and soup for my husband, both were delicious. We had both selected the duck dish for the main course. We were in need of another drink but never saw the waiter again for some time. When he did return we did order a second drink. We were then left unattended in the restaurant. The music that had been playing had stopped, there was no atmosphere whatsoever. Our main meal was served to us by the chef who then cleared the kitchen and also left to a back room never to be seen again. I was unable to eat my duck. It was extremely tough. My husband ate some of his and I picked at mine. I was unable to bring this to the attention of anyone as the chef had left the area and the waiter/barman was nowhere to be seen. It seemed inappropriate to speak with the receptionist!. Some considerable time later the waiter returned. He asked if there was a problem with my meal and I explained to him that there was. I was told that I should have brought this to his attention sooner! (I certainly would have done so had he been available). He apologised and stated that he had been needed to “sort out some rooms”. He gave us our bill and I was reluctant to sign as I was totally dissatisfied with my meal. He explained that I had to sign, there was nothing he could do other than charge me for it as he had no authority to do otherwise. I asked to speak with the manager. I was told no manager was available but he would bring it to his attention. I endorsed the back of the invoice accordingly. Having left the restaurant we had no choice but to return to our room as it was far too cold to sit in either the bar or reception area. We decided then that we would be leaving the following morning after speaking with the duty manager. We went to reception around 7.30am and a very pleasant and polite receptionist was on duty (Sally I believe). I explained we were leaving, she asked if there was a reason for our early departure. I explained to her our reasons and again asked to see the duty manager. I was told this was not possible, the manager was on site but she was not allowed to disturb him. To avoid conflict with this very nice young lady I reluctantly paid my bill in full and we left the hotel and returned home very upset that our weekend was not all we had hoped it would be. I am e-mailing you in the hope that you will comment on our experience. I have absolutely no complaint with any member of your staff who were courteous and polite at all times. It is certainly not the fault of the waiter/barman that he had so many responsibilities that he was unable to offer efficient service to individuals. He was very apologetic but seemed to be unable to deal with our complaint. It is with deep regret that I have found it necessary to mail you with such negative feedback, had our experience been similar to our first we would have been regular visitors to your hotel and highly recommended it to friends and family. Sadly this will not now be the case. I look forward to receiving your comments. I received no reply to this e-mail. I mailed again and copied the original e-mail and made it very clear that if I did not receive an appropriate reply that I would place negaive review. It is now June, I have heard nothing from anyone at the Essex County. That says it all, not only is it the most dreadful place to stay but it is apparent that no-one really gives a [---]. We would not return there even for free and as for recommending it - no way!!!!od thing about this place

Arrived and from the outside it looked very nice. Got to my room... and this is where the problems started. There was no iron or ironing board in the room and the guest services book mentioned a room service menu. I called to reception and asked for all the above. I was told it would all be with me right away. 20 minutes later - I called again to ask for the same, and again was told it was on its way. I gave it another 10 minutes and was about to call when I spotted a very large spider! I called reception again, told them I still hadn't got what I'd asked for but that was no longer a priority (i'm extra scared of spiders!) and that all I really needed right at that moment was someone to come and remove the spider. Another 10 minutes passed and no-one had called round to my room. Annoyed - I set off to reception and asked for the manager. The manager appeared and when I told him about the spider, the lack of iron and room service menu he gave me a look so dirty, I thought I'd need a shower to wash it off! He and another employee stormed off in front of me and headed towards my room. When I eventually caught up I found them both in the bathroom(?) Neither had bothered to ask where the spider was - I pointed out that it wasn't there.. but near the bed. I left them to it for a few moments, then put my head round the door and couldn't believe the comedy sketch unfolding! They'd bought a pink feather duster with them and were trying to kill it! I demanded they stop at once and told them that I didn't want it killed - just put outside, in tact. The manager then got all stroppy with me and said 'Look - you want it gone so that's what we're doing'. I was about to shout when the other employee said 'Ohhhh it's run off'. I was not amused! I told the manager how long I'd been waiting for help/iron/room service menu and all after a 6 hour journey. He then proceeded to have a go at me and dispute the time I arrived at the hotel!!! I demanded a new room - which I got but with absolutely no good grace.I asked again for an iron - still nothing after 30 minutes so I went to Tesco and bought my own. Faulty Towers without the service!

What a disapointment! I booked this hotel through the VisitBritian site and felt that the fact they had a three star rating would mean a decent standard. How wrong. The rooms ( more like chalets )were freezing. The decor was old and shabby. The walls were so thin you could hear every word from next door. The only half saving grace was the breakfast which was cooked fresh and of a good standard but this was served by unhelpful staff. Please if you a reading this read the other reviews and dont stay here.