We booked our Junior Suite of this hotel through the Movenpick website. The pictures of the junior suite were very nice with sofa to relax in when you are in your room. The reception was very fast, in 2 minutes we got room 342 and the receptionist gave us two vouchers for the breakfast the next morning. When we came in the room it did not look the same as the pictures we saw on the internet page of Movenpick. We did not have an extra sofa and the room seem to be a lot older than the junior suite on the pictures of the website. I went back to the reception, but the receptionist told us that we did got a junior suite. When I showed him the pictures of the website he told that, that room was another kind of room, and that it was the policy of Movenpick to give any room they want to.....
The next morning we had breakfast and then we checked out.
The lady at the reception told us we still had to pay for the breakfast.... we told her that we received two vouchers the day before but she said that since the breakfast was not included in our rate. We told her again that we received two vouchers the day before for the breakfast and that the reception did not told us that those vouchers were not included in the rate. A bit later the front desk manager told us again the same thing as the receptionist. We again told him that it is misleading to give vouchers when you have to pay for the breakfast. He told us that it was Movenpick policy. We also told him that our room did not look at all like the junior suite that we booked, .... and he told us again that it was Movenpick policy. After a while he said that we would not have to pay for the breakfast but the front desk manager was very unfriendly and kept saying that it was the policy of Movenpick.
Oh yeah, I almost forget, ... you can not get any ice cubes anywhere and if you call room service for a bucket of ice, ... they bring you a glass, with 4 ice cubes in it .... ;-)
The Movenpick hotel Essen has a very good location in Essen, but if you don't get the room you pay for and if they give you vouchers for a breakfast that you have to pay for later, .... that is very very very very wrong !
Be carefull when you book this hotel!

The Moevenpick was really nice. We were in room 307 which was a corner room and it was huge. It had a big nice clean bathroom and full length mirror. The bed was very large and comfortable. We ate and drank at the bar within the hotel and it was good. We had pizza which was only 6euros and I think the beers were reasonable priced (especially for a hotel). We did not try the breakfast as it was 17euros pp.
Parking cost 9euros a day. It is close walking distance and only 1 set of steps so easy to pull your luggage to and from. The receptions wrote down the name of the street the parking garage was on and we used GPS to find it. Make sure to have the front desk do something with your parking card because it makes it cheaper when paying at the garage.
Despite the hotel being right across for the main train station, it was not loud outside (with windows closed of course).

Stayed here in March 2011. For the price, stylish, CLEAN, good size room and shower, great breakfast and friendly staff. I will stay here again.

Good spread of breakfast, excellent location just opposite the railway station.. Rooms are pretty small but location is very convenient for shopping