I have stayed at all three hotels over the years, multiple times, and I find the GCH to be the 'least Disney-fied' out of all of them. It has very few noticeable Disney touches (there are some subtle, hidden ones but you have to really look for them). I think DLH is the MOST 'Disney' (meaning the most blatant Mickey touches all around) of the three hotels, with PPH coming in second and GCH third in terms of Disney details. However, that is probably not
my order of preference in DLR hotels. They all have pros and cons, frankly.
I used to stay at DLH a lot in the past, because at that time that's all there was! I have a lot of good memories there, and loved a lot of its old shops and restaurants which are now gone. There was no PPH or GCH to try out. I liked the DLH a lot for its pretty grounds with waterfalls, koi fish, Goofy's Kitchen, etc. But all those things can still be enjoyed even if you stay at one of the other hotels. And the long walk through DTD to get to the parks from DLH is annoying, as is standing in the (often) long line for the Monorail.
So then when PPH opened up in its first incarnation - Disneyland Pacific, or whatever it was called - there was suddenly a lower-priced option for a DLR hotel. I have stayed at PPH several times for the simple reason that I wanted to stay on-site but at the cheapest price. And most of my PPH stays have been fine (with the exception of the last one). It doesn't have sprawling, spacious grounds and it is not elegantly rustic (like the GCH), but it is a cute little hotel with beachy touches here and there. It really is fine. It has the same cute little Mickey-ears bath products in the bathroom (which DLH also has but GCH does not). It's clean and it's much newer than the DLH so it seems fresh and sparkly. Yes, PPH is technically the furthest out from the parks, BUT because of the handy 'short cut' from the PPH through the GCH lobby, some walking time is shaved off, and we don't have to walk as far as we would if we were staying at DLH!
I have stayed at GCH twice, and I wanted to stay there again this month but finances didn't allow it. Truthfully, that convenient location to the parks really worked wonders for us last year. Staying at GCH really made a difference in the energy level and productivity of my friend for last year's trip, whereas she gets mopey and grumbly when we have to make the long sojourn back to PPH. It is a lovely (but dimly lit) hotel, with lots of ambience that makes you feel like you are sitting in an elegant mountain chalet. The lobby is big and spacious, the hearth is appropriately warm and cozy, there is a piano player there evry night, and during the holidays it is delightful to plop down in the comfy chairs and listen to the carolers by the giant Christmas tree. But, again, all of that can be enjoyed by anyone - even if you are not staying there! The standard GCH rooms are, frankly, not that much more spectacular than the standard rooms at DLH or PPH. You get different bath products (from the popular company H20), and you get chocolates every night, but otherwise the rooms are just basic rooms with tall beds that I had to climb up on! The rooms have balconies, and if you get the DTD view, it is quite a nice people-watching experience! And yes, the entrance to DCA is great, but any DLR hotel guests can use that entrance. But, GCH is SO expensive even with great AP rates. It just is not possible to stay there all the time.
So I would say that, strictly from a convenience standpoint and as far as what seemed to generate the best and most productive trip for my group of people, GCH is where I would prefer to stay if I could. Otherwise, PPH would be next choice because it has the lowest price and the nifty 'short-cut' through the GCH lobby to save some walking time. But I always end up somewhere on the DLH property because we alwasy eat at Goofy's Kitchen! So I get a taste of all three hotels each trip!
