The months of spring bring a rush of weddings to Buda, where guests enjoy the wildflower-studded open fields, rustic buildings and sunny weather. But when COVID-19 hit, it stopped the wedding industry in its tracks and hotels followed. Besides the essential employees coming to lodge in hotels, there are no other guests.

The Hampton Inn in Buda, once thriving in the months of March and April, is barely able to stay open at a maximum occupancy of 19 percent, maybe 22 percent. It once employed 20 pe...