Interesting read! I had not seen the thread before.
The only thing to take into consideration is that some of the tips may not work very well outside the US such as the tipping parts (which can seem offensive in some countries) and asking/expecting upgrades without a valid reason (if you want a better room you will be asked to pay the difference or at least a charge in many hotels).
But indeed the hotels know a lot about their guests, and the funny thing is that many people don't realise this. Although more exactly how much they know mostly depends on routines and time constraints (it does take time to enter things).
If you are polite and nice, or for example if something goes wrong and you behave well (showing a bit of sympathy that everybody makes mistakes) you may well get some favourable comments in the records which will make a difference in the future.
On the other hand if you are rude or make a lot of trouble, or even worse trying to fool the hotel by telling lies etc (yes it happened!) you will most likely get a negative comment in the record which all staff will read every time you arrive and appropriate actions will be taken (or perhaps not taken).