Essence Hotel

This little hotel offers a decent value to solo travelers, with a convenient location near Brooklyn attractions and easy access to public transit via the R train a couple blocks away. I've made last-minute bookings here a couple times when I've had to change plans due to flight cancellations and whatnot, and I have not been dissatisfied. The building does have a bit of "character," what with the shuttered businesses next door, the "Armed guard on duty" sign and the glassed-in front desk (tastefully shown without the bulletproof glass in the property photos), but I've never felt unsafe walking around this area any time of day or night. The rooms are tiny -- not much bigger than the bed. There's a tiny desk, a mini-fridge and single-serve coffee maker in the room, as well as a clean bath

Positive: The hotel is ok for a single person, on a short trip... It's clean, the staff were nice and friendly... the location is great, just what I was looking for... I needed one more night overstay and it wasn't a problem... the guy/manager was nice. Negative: The hotel was ok, but not worth the price.... no space to move around, no iron, and no breakfast,

We arrived at the hotel and spent more than two hours waiting for someone to arrive! Very small room, full bed! Bath towels were not washed well! They do not provide sanitary towels! Hotel has an ok location…. But the structure is terrible!

PROS: Good location. The AC and heater work well, and staff seem to be doing their best. CONS: There is a genuinely scary ambience to this place. Before you enter, you will be greeted by a sign on the door that says ARMED SECURITY GUARD ON PREMISES. The front desk is protected with bulletproof glass. There is indeed someone who seems to be living in one of the rooms, who management can’t or won’t do anything about, and he blasted music for the entire floor to hear. In the middle of the night, I could hear sporadic, gut-wrenching screams (presumably coming from his room). Oh and the rooms/bathrooms are filthy and TINY. The entire room is only big enough for the bed. My towels had someone else’s hair on them. No shampoo and conditioner. I hope I never find myself back at this place. Without

Great location, very easy to go to any place in Manhattan from Union St. Station. Close to a nice shopping center. Very safe neighborhood with lots of restaurants over the 4th avenue. We arrived very late and the area was always very safe and easy to walk by from the subway station. The room was clean, although small, but with great views and great service staff that cleaned it every day of our stay. We enjoyed the stay, it allowed us to have a cheap alternative to Manhattan's hotels which lacked private bathrooms. I think it's the kind of place for those that go to the hotel just to sleep after a long day, fellow adventurers!