The phrase "affectionate tribute" means expressing love, fondness, or admiration towards someone or something through a respectful and kind gesture or action. Full definition
As beguiling a raconteur as he is a performer, Louie makes for a wildly entertaining movie subject, and Zwigoff honors him with an unsentimental but endlessly affectionate tribute. (criterion.com)
Designed in affectionate tribute to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea is built with local stone boasting 345 rooms and suites within a stylish Arabesque monument building that weaves clean and simple lines into an Arabian theme. (luxurytravelmagazine.com)
«He looked like us, he represented the Chicago mentality, the Chicago people,» says actor Dennis Franz in This Old Cub, an affectionate tribute to the ballplayer (directed by Santo's son Jeff and narrated by Joe Mantegna) that was recently released on DVD. (si.com)