There are certain locations that I actually like and others (most of them) that I avoid like the plague, usually because they are overrun with young children running around. If I know that I am going to have to complete some office work during the day, I will choose and ES for the extra space. As far as the breakfast goes, I am not a big breakfast person, so I would rather go by a Starbucks and grab a coffee that is at least drinkable (the Dowie Egberts Coffee at ES is really awful). As far as costs go, they utilize the cheapest liquor in thier drinks, so cost is usually less than .35-.50 cents per drink. The breakfast cost is usually around $2.50 pp. Add another $1 pp for the happy hour food buffet, total cost to the hotel is less than $5 pp per night. If 2 people stay in the room, that is $10 per room night. If thier average rate is $125 per night, then there is plenty of profit left over to support these amenities...
My favorite ES Hotels:
ES Orlando Downtown
ES Indianapolis
ES San Diego Downtown/Waterfront
ES Atlanta Downtown
ES Financial District New York - now closing )-:
ES to Avoid:
Any location other than downtown in Orlando
Niagara Falls - awful, they should lose thier franchise
ES Baton Rouge
Any ES whose photos still look like the older mediterranian style (usually means that they are still circa 1980 inside)