Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

For starters, my name, MR status level, and special requests are not the business of another guest. When I'm a customer of some business, I assume that the business will not put my name on some list that they share with other customers without my permission.

A special request might indicate to a thief when the room will surely be unoccupied. Just as some people think it's fun to find a stranger's telephone number at random or from the phone book and make anonymous or obscene calls, often at atrange hours, knowing the last name enables them to call the room through the hotel operator.