We spent several nights in June at the Essex House. I can't remember if the lounge is open on the weekends but I will say, I thought the lounge was excellent. The breakfast offered is off the of same buffet as the adjoining restaurant. My husband hates lounge breakfasts (and buffets in general) and he happily ate in the lounge everyday, something he never does well travelling. The lounge was always full but the staff did an excellent job managing the crowd.

As far as upgrades, my husband is plat and an upgrade was not offered.

I don't crunch the numbers as it relates to a property being a good use of points the way some do. We liked the hotel, the location and would definitely do a points stay there again.