A merchant's house that was always a kind of hotel
The Casa de las Cuatro Torres was built between 1736 and 1745, when Cádiz was the port that handled the Indies trade. The hotel's own history page says the owner built four independent houses inside one building, because the urban ordinances allowed only one lookout tower per house. That is the practical reason the roofline carries four towers, and it is the detail worth knowing before you arrive. The first owner on record, Juan Clat Secanichi, known as Fragela, was a merchant in that trade, and the hotel's history says it "really seems" he built the house as his company's headquarters.
The rooms were rented to people waiting in Cádiz for ships to America, so the hotel use is a return rather than an invention. The building was declared a national monument in 1976, then stood abandoned until an integral restoration began in 2015. If you have already climbed the Torre Tavira or walked past the Cádiz Cathedral, this is the domestic version of the same merchant wealth.
Where it sits and how it is run
The address is Plaza de Argüelles 3, in the old town (postcode 11004), and the hotel describes itself as 150 metres from the Palacio de Diputación. There is no hotel parking; two car parks are nearby, so a hire car is a chore here and the sensible plan is to arrive on foot or by taxi. Pets are not accepted. Check-in runs from 2 pm to 10 pm, check-out is by 11 am.
The accommodation is a mix of rooms, premium rooms, apartments, duplexes and studios, so it suits couples as easily as a small group travelling together. Each room is named after an 18th-century sailor born in or closely tied to Cádiz. The hotel states that it has adapted rooms and is accessible for guests with reduced mobility. There is a bar, free wifi throughout, bicycle rental and an airport transfer service.
Who it suits, and who it does not
Book it if you want to sleep inside the history you came to see, and if a protected 18th-century building matters more to you than a modern chain's predictable floor plan. Pair the stay with the old town's other heritage stops, such as the Roman Theatre and the Gran Teatro Falla, and spend lunch on pescaito frito and tortillitas de camarones in a local bar rather than at the hotel.
Skip it if you are driving in, travelling with a dog, or need a published star rating before you commit. The hotel does not state one, and rates are set dynamically, so compare dates on the official booking page before deciding.