I stayed at Holiday inn express braintree with my friend for 3 nights (a weekend). We stayed for V Festival in Chelmsford, but every hotel in C was full. There was literally no place to get food from, took a taxi to get to city centre (about £5) and back to get food on a friday night. To festival we took a bus that hotel's staff knew nothing about. Bus took about 35 minutes and cost £2,8-£5. The last bus back from Chelmsford was around 11pm on Saturday and 10pm on Sunday, so if you wantedto stay at the festival for longer, you had to take a taxi. Hotel itself was nice, clean and calm. Wouldn't go again for the festival, but with a car the place would have been good.