I have just spent 5 nights in this hotel. Here is my comment...
Pros:
1/ The location is perfect & you can go to the busiest shopping district of Perth within 5 minutes walk. It is much better than those 5 stars hotels such as Hyatt, Sheraton & Crown Plaza
2/ It is cheap and I only spent AUD79 per night. I booked through Discover West Holiday & they ever offer me a free one-way airport transfer
3/ The room is big. Try to get a gorgeous Swan River view room.

Cons:
1/ The room is clean when I check-in. But I doubt that they do not vacuum the carpet everday
2/ There is no restaurant near the hotel (in fact there is a cafe in the G/F but they only offer breakfast). So, if you want to enjoy your dinner, you better go to Northbridge by riding the free blue CAT bus. There is a blue CAT bus stop a block away from the hotel

I would recommand this hotel if you don't want to spend too much for your accommodation

Stayed in late February 2006 for 2 nights and wished we had stayed longer. This hotel is 3 star but the best we encountered in our stay that trip to Thailand, Samoa ,Australia and South Africa in terms of value for money. Totally central to the city, shops and ferry terminal and the staff were friendly and helpful. Highly recommended in respect of value for money. Would stay there again.

It's an old building, but the rooms are clean. Staff are very friendly.The only complaint I have was that one of our beds was a little soft - springs wearing out.
Overall, a good place to stay if you don't want to spend too much.

We were having our vacation at Perth and chose The New Esplanade for our accommodation. When we arrived past midnight, we were not greeted by the staff on duty and instead, he handled our check-in with a terribly unfriendly approach.

To make things worse, we were given a big surprise on the next early morning - the building next to our hotel started renovation and there were heavy knocking and drilling as early as 7am. I think the hotel should actually mention that there is renovation work going on at the next building on their website. Other hotels do that.

There is a "Nite Cruiser" bus picking passengers up on late nights during the weekends and there is a bus-stop outside the hotel for this bus. Some passengers get drunk and as they wait for the bus to arrive, they scream and make a lot of noise in the middle of the night, and it can be very loud.

Last but not least, the bed covers are stained and the toilet taps have grime all around them.

We will not recommend this hotel to anybody.