Miami's Acqualina Resort & Residences has earned the 2026 VERIFIED™ Responsible Hospitality badge from Forbes Travel Guide for the third straight year, placing the Sunny Isles Beach oceanfront property among a select group of luxury hotels recognized for measurable sustainability performance across more than 80 countries.
The designation is Forbes Travel Guide's official sustainability verification for its Star-Rated hotel community and is assessed against a consistent global framework developed in partnership with hotelier Hervé Houdré. Properties are evaluated on food and water waste reduction, energy usage, recycling programs, sustainable amenities, health security, and integration with local communities — criteria that directly touch hotel food and beverage operations as much as broader facilities management.
On the F&B Side
For Acqualina's culinary program, the sustainability commitment shows up in sourcing and service. The resort has eliminated single-use plastics, cut paper usage across operations, and shifted its restaurant menus — spanning Il Mulino New York, the alfresco Costa Grill, Ke-uH Japanese restaurant, and Avra Miami — to locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. That kind of supply-chain discipline is increasingly a baseline expectation at Forbes five-star properties and a differentiator in the competitive South Florida luxury hospitality market, where restaurant and dining programs carry significant weight in overall guest satisfaction scores.
Community Ties Run Deep
"Earning this distinction for the third consecutive year is a true reflection of our team's dedication to caring for our guests, our residents, our community and the beautiful coastline we call home," said Deborah Yager Fleming, CEO and Partner of Acqualina Resort. The property backs that statement with tangible programs: a partnership with the Miami-Dade County Sea Turtle Program, regular beach clean-ups, annual food drives for the Broward Outreach Center, and toy drives benefiting Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Acqualina also founded the Miami Chapter of the I Have a Dream Foundation in 1995, focused on educational access for children from underprivileged backgrounds.
For hospitality operators tracking how sustainability verification is reshaping guest expectations, the Acqualina example illustrates how a cohesive program — one that links F&B sourcing, waste reduction, and community investment under a single operational philosophy — can translate into credible third-party recognition. As sustainable hospitality practices gain traction across the luxury segment, verified frameworks like Forbes Travel Guide's Responsible Hospitality program offer properties a structured path to demonstrating accountability rather than relying on self-reported claims. Full details on Acqualina's sustainability initiatives are available at acqualinaresort.com/sustainability.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
