Columnist Susan Snyder: Amid trees, hotel is sprucing up

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 | 8:15 a.m.

DeeAnn Phillips' display of jewelry and hand-painted coins gleamed in the sunshine outside the Mt. Charleston Hotel.

Under a brilliant blue sky, Phillips and other crafts vendors breathed deeply of the clean mountain air and talked quietly with shoppers and passersby.

But doing what she loves in such a beautiful place is bittersweet for Phillips, who owns maverick Designs and coordinates the weekend arts and crafts show at the hotel in Kyle Canyon.

She and her husband, Larry, were working a show much like this one in Kyle Canyon last July when he collapsed and died of a heart attack.

"He died up here in my arms," Phillips said. "He'd never been sick a day in his life, and he just fell over."

She blinked back the tears.

"He and I had so much fun doing this together," she said. "I didn't think I'd get back to doing this again."

But back she is, and along with other vendors is now displaying her wares every Saturday and Sunday outside the newly renovated Mt. Charleston Hotel.

For 25 years the hotel located about 13 miles up Kyle Canyon has been a weekend destination for Las Vegas locals looking for a bite to eat after a hike or a rest stop along a weekend motorcycle or bicycle ride.

Great American Capital, which purchased the hotel in November, still caters to the old crowd but also is adding amenities that will attract a new type of visitor, who may be looking for a place to stay for a few days.

The lobby has been redecorated. The video game arcade has given way to Cafe Chocolat, a bistro that's to open in the next two weeks. And the main restaurant has also been redone to reflect a more sophisticated look and menu.

Still to come are a new fitness center overlooking the mountain, terrace seating for diners and spa and sauna, said Fred Geesin, general manager.

"The Sunday brunches have been very popular," Geesin said. "The clientele is different. We get a little mix of everybody."

They've also added entertainment, from a harpist or cellist playing at Sunday brunches, to outdoor jazz concerts such as the one scheduled 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. today.

And the arts and crafts vendors will be set up outside from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, from Memorial Day until snow flies. About half a dozen vendors have been there the past three weeks. But Phillips, who chooses them, is looking for more.

She's looking for a T-shirt vendor, a potter, someone who sells purses or fabric art and clothing or novelties for pets. She wants to make sure no one duplicates another vendor.

"We're just spending all kinds of money," said Scott Brady, a motorcyclist who rode up the canyon Sunday with his wife, Sherry. "We just came up for a putt and stopped here."

Before they left, they'd bought three rings and two crystal sculptures. Geesin encourages the motorcycle clubs' lunch stops at the hotel and hopes area Corvette clubs follow suit.

Phillips, meanwhile, said she looks forward to weekends on the mountain, partly because of the memories.

"He was my soul mate," she said. "I feel him here with me."

For information on the hotel, www.mtcharlestonhotel.com. To be an arts vendor contact Phillips, maverickdesigns@cox.net, or 655-9305.