Keeping up with what’s new and trendy as well as checking in with old favorites is the balancing act that is the job of a hotel concierge—after all, the buzziest restaurant in town may mean a long wait and lousy service, which translates to unhappy customers who would have been happier with a tried-and-true standby that still offers them a taste of the city. We went bicoastal find out what the pros at the Thompson Hotel Group are recommending these days. This is what Kelsey Wilson, a lead concierge at the Thompson Beverly Hills in LA, and Paul Salvatore Petersen, head concierge at 60 Thompson in NYC, had to say:

You may have noticed that the temperature in New York is starting to drop, and when that happens, restaurants around town tend to slightly alter their menus to satiate their customers' need for warmth. This season, there might not be a better (and more delicious) option than the new Thai hot pot at Kittichai.

Is it me or is there a Thai restaurant on every corner in Manhattan? The latter seems right: they're as ubiquitous as ATM machines. And they're not all that special, either (you have to go to Queens for that). Thankfully, New York City recently received one of the best Thai imports in the city's culinary history. Ty Bellingham—who worked at the famed Sailors Thai in Sydney, Australia—has taken over Kittichai at 60 Thompson, giving it that Thai magic makeover. It also doesn't hurt that he's regarded as one of the world's top Thai chefs. It took Ty a couple months to get acclimated, so we gave him some time to get down and dirty before getting the dish on his new adventure.

Step aside, Soho House, there’s a new members club in L.A. Sure, it may not share the social pedigree of London’s well-known chain of clubs. And yes, it's really just the top floor of the Petit Ermitage hotel, where guests who stay below luxuriate poolside. But the top floor of this West Hollywood haunt just might be worth the price of admission for locals who want to enjoy a rare slice of mahogany-laden, Spain-meets-Morocco majesty in the middle of WeHo - and a touch of real privacy.

In case you hadn't heard by now, Thompson Hotels Group recently opened their first international hotel in Toronto, appropriately titled Thompson Toronto. Expect the usual swank Thompson delivers, including a rooftop bar scene with a pool and killer skyline views, a private 40-seat screening room, Chef Scott Conant's Scarpetta, and 102 design-driven guestrooms with 18 suites all on 16 glass-encased floors. The hotel set up camp in Toronto's emerging King West neighborhood—destined to become the Meatpacking of Toronto—which is chock-full of loft buildings, new restaurants, and fashionistas. We had a chance to catch up with hotelier and Thompson co-founder Jason Pomeranc, who gave us the dish on his new Canadian adventure.

Josh Katz is the co-owner and founder of EL Media Group, a premier custom music provider and audio/video installation company. Along with his partner Ernie Lake, Katz works with hospitality and nightlife venues worldwide customizing music programming to create a client-specific atmosphere and soundscape.The transition was close to seamless for Katz, a music business veteran, and EL Media Group is expanding rapidly—almost solely by word of mouth. More on the concept after the jump.

I spied Jessica Hart for the one-millionth time out at the National show at BAM last week and I, as per the usual, dug her style. The Australian model of Sports Illustrated and Guess? fame always shows up styled one part beachy, one part rock n' roll, a casual look perfect for summer nights in the city. The natural beauty prefers oversize glasses, tan skin, red lips and rocker tees— garnering inspiration in part from Tamarama's Nicolas Potts, her beach/pop rocker boyfriend.

Your friends and ours at Thompson Hotels (6 Columbus, 60 Thompson, Thompson LES, Gild Hall, Smyth, Hollywood Roosevelt, Thompson Beverly Hills, Hotel Sax, and Donovan House) have launched a new blog called Inn-Sight. Spinning off the Room100 concept of yore, Inn-Sight posts about fashion, art, culture, and of course travel, plus interviews and cool stuff happening in and around the various Thompsons. Plus, it's overseen by our pal Steve Garbarino -- check out his Editor's Letter for the goods on what's going down over there.

Lulzim Rexhepi spent time in some of the world’s top kitchens before taking over for Executive Chef Ian Chalmerkittichai at 60 Thompson's Kittichai . From the Mandarin Oriental in Switzerland and the Blue Water Grill to the Four Seasons Hotel and Icon at the W Hotel and Xing, Chef “Lou” has endured every type of culinary experience to help him keep Kittichai’s flavor booming.

Not long ago (just a few days ago actually), the place to be in the city was a speakeasy, a dark and dank basement bar. The kids stayed far away from "the man" -- in nightlife's case, bottle-servicing mega clubs, huge corporate-type hangs, slick bistros, or slick anything. With the recent opening of the now beloved Standard Hotel, we seem to be getting back to the well-rounded Manhattanites we once were. These days you'll find us venturing out from the West Village; some are even crossing over from the Lower East Side to experience the multifaceted Standard properties: the Boom Boom Room, The Standard Grill, and The Standard Beer Garden. Like a family caravan-ing to a Six Flags, we make the pilgrimage and usually end up staying all day at this adult playground. It works to our benefit, since we get the advantage of changing scenery without paying cab fare. As Steve Lewis asked, will most or all new nightlife construction be in the hotels? With that question in mind, it was time to revisit another of the city's package deals: the all-inclusive 60 Thompson, the understated, elegant, and trendy Soho hotel which houses the undeniably chic Kittichai, Thom Bar, and A60. Can other hotels stand up to the new Standard?