Most low- and mid-level hotels -- into which the Four Points chain falls -- in Europe and increasingly elsewhere in the world, are moving to the large mounted squeeze bottles of soap and shampoo. This is part ecological, part economics. Remember that Europeans, and Germans paticularly, are far more advanced than the US in terms of recycling and conservation. [Many products like TVs and appliances have a recycling charge incorporated into their purchase price so they can be disposed of in recycling plants once no longer being used.] Half-used soaps and little bottles of whatever contribute to the waste cycle in significant proportions, so this approach reduces that stream of garbage. As for economics, those same tiny bars of soap and bottles of shampoo, etc. do become a costly element of a hotel's operations, particularly with short stay patrons who tend to leave behind partially-used items that must be replaced for the next guest. If we want low rates, we have to adjust to such methods of cost-efficiency. Otherwise, we pay in the high rates of the Luxury Collection and St. Regis chains, and the main brands of Westin and Sheraton.
As for smoking, this is another side of how Europeans live and do things differently from our side of the Atlantic. There is little in the way of a non-smoking movement over there, and this is quite noticable in public spaces like hotel lobbies and restaurants. I guess we need to see this as one of the charms of visiting such countries and cultures. Remember, as charming as the streets of Paris may be, there is still a lot of dog **** on the sidewalks... We could opt for Ireland, where smoke-free living has just taken a quantum leap forward, or backward, depending upon your point of view.