My prometida (she's Ecuadorian) has occasionally referred to me as usted, but she said that in this context it can convey not only formality / respect, but also affection! I'm fascinated by this concept, but curious if this is common in other Spanish-speaking regions.

I have read that in Colombia, usted is used nearly always (including towards children and pets), and seeing how Ecuador is a neighboring country, could this be dialectal assimilation of sorts? (Side question: Is it still the case in Colombia that the formal usted is used predominantly / more so than in other Latin American countries?)