Delegates for the Republican National Convention are rolling into town – and the Big Apple is rolling out the red carpet. Immediately upon checking into their hotels, delegates and convention guests will get the item that no decent New York party should be without: a goodie bag.

The bags – black messenger-style carry-alls – will be filled with treats courtesy of partners working with NYC & Co. Our tourism organization has put together a whopping 22,000 goodie bags. And while the treats in this sack are not the most glamorous the city has ever seen, the sheer quantity of them is staggering.

“You never have goodie bags for that many people,” said David Adler, CEO and founder BizBash, the trade publication for the event-planning industry. “That’s a huge undertaking. Usually they’re for 200 or 300 people.”

Not even the organizers of Fashion Week will turn out so many. The total for the Spring 2005 shows, coming up the week after the convention, is just 1,500 bags for VIPs, media, and guests.

The enormous number of bags for the GOPers means the bags aren’t exactly going to be Academy-Award caliber. There’s Dunkin Donut’s coffee, “commemorative” Kraft macaroni and cheese, as well as red, white, and blue M&Ms.

More enviable freebies include a one-week membership to NYC Sports Clubs, MetroCards, disposable cameras (with free processing at B&H), and the ultimate must-have for anyone going out on the town: Listerine PocketPaks Strips.

Other items include: digital pedometers, Statue of Liberty lapel pins, copies of Rudy Guiliani’s book “Leadership,” an ESPN $5 game card, and pre-paid phone cards – plus lots of jazzy full-color brochures!

The real treats, though, are going to be given at random. Some gift bags have been loaded with surprises including digital cameras and tickets to the U.S. Open, a Yankees game, or a David Letterman taping.

As for the bag itself, New Balance made the messenger bags possible. (In an effort of bipartisanship, they also sponsored the canvas tote bags for the delegates to the Democratic National Convention.) In that regard, Republicans are definitely the winners. In New York City black is the new black and a messenger bag is always hipper than a let’s-go-to-Granny’s canvas tote.

“A great bag is the biggest score you can get,” said Mr. Adler. “You’ll be able to use it again and again.”

The RNC bags will be given to the media, VIPs, members of the Republican Governors Association, and the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, as well as all the delegates and alternates. The media – which is staying at the New Yorker Hotel – will be getting a double dose of generosity. The hotel is giving out welcome bags that include mints, bubble gum, paper fans, stress relievers (in the shape of squeezable taxi cabs), and coupons for Macy’s and the Grey Line tours.

The intangible gift of hospitality, though, is popping up all over town – most notably with specialty cocktails. The Marriott Marquis, which hosts the Ohio, California, and Tennessee delegations, has mixed up a slew of new drinks. For California, there’s the Golden Bear, a fruity concoction made with Malibu Rum, Absolut vodka, apricot brandy, Island Oasis, pineapple and passion fruit juice.

For Tennessee, there’s a hard lemonade made with Jack Daniels – a Tennessee product. And for Ohio, there’s the Buckeye- a fancy version of a vodka-cranberry.

All around the nearly 2,000-room hotel – which will be three-quarters filled with Republican faithful – is celebratory red, white, and blue bunting. “We’re going to leave it up until Labor Day,” said spokesperson Kathleen Duffy. “It’s very American, very patriotic, to appeal to all audiences.”

The Marriott has also created a special dessert: the Elephant Mud Pie, made with vanilla ice cream on Texas sheet cake topped with a big elephant cookie.

Both the Ritz-Carlton New York at Battery Park – which will house the Georgia delegation – and the Ritz Carlton New York at Central Park West – which will house party loyalists – are pulling out the stops for their political guests. Every night of the convention, guests will receive in-room treats that pay tribute to Republican presidents.

In honor of Abraham Lincoln, there will be chocolate pennies; for Ronald Reagan, jelly beans; and for George H.W. Bush there will be flashlights that represent the “Thousand Points of Light.” To honor the current commander in chief, there’s a little taste of home: Laura Bush’s Texas Cowboy Cookies.

They also have new cocktails, like the Compassionate Conservative, a passion-fruit based drink, and the G.W. Bellini, all served with G.O.P.eanuts.

The Bull and Bear restaurant at the Waldorf-Astoria – where party big-wigs are booked – will be pouring specialty drinks, too. On offer is Bush Takes Manhattan, a Perfect Manhattan made with Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

Though some hotel restaurants are adding state-themed menu items, others are keeping their changes to the bars. And it’s not a platform issue. It’s one of timing.

“The majority of the delegates are not going to be in the restaurants at the peak dining hours,” said the New York Hilton’s Brandon McCurley. “So we’ve completely redone the cocktail menus.”

And since the Hilton will be home to delegates from Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas, there will be plenty of new potions to choose from. There’s a Texas Tea – a 4-shot booze bomb with cola – and a similar Florida Iced Tea, with orange juice instead of cola. The “Mich” isn’t a headliner, but the Liberty Bellvedere makes up for it: a martini with Belvedere vodka.

And when those conventioneers return to the hotel from Madison Square Garden, they’ll enjoy special happy hours with reduced prices. But don’t try to sneak in if you don’t have a hotel pass: these parties are for delegates only.

Still other hotels are making some welcome gestures that are less corrosive to the liver. The Algonquin Hotel – where District of Columbia delegation will be housed – will be slipping oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies (with milk) into the Republicans’ rooms after the convention. The Roosevelt Hotel – where folks from Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Oregon will be camping out-will be providing chocolates with elephant motifs. The hotel management has also ordered several engraved glass bowls for the leaders of the delegations as a thank-you gift. And as an extra-special touch, all hotel employees will be wearing lapel pins from one of the four states.

Now that’s a welcome wagon.