Sneaking a Virtual Peek at B&B; Decor

Considering a B&B; stay on your next weekend getaway, but can’t stand the idea of being surrounded by chintz sofas, lace doilies and Laura Ashley wallpaper? Not to worry. If a new Web service called Virtual Tours of California Bed and Breakfast Inns takes off, you’ll be able to check out a series of photos that give 360-degree views of inns, both interiors and exteriors, before you book.

The virtual tours, available on the California Division of Tourism’s Internet site, https://www.gocalif.ca.gov/bamboo, are clearly “under construction.” As of Aug. 4, only 39 inns in California were participating, most of them in San Francisco, Napa and Santa Barbara. And you may need to update your network software to take in the panoramic views. But the photos give would-be guests a good idea of whether their own tastes mesh with those of a potential host.