This study investigates the perceptions towards workplace envy and succession planning among upper echelons in five-star hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The hotel industry faces challenges such as high turnover, talent shortages, and service quality issues. This research addresses these challenges by exploring how workplace envy—a complex emotion characterized by resentment and hostility—affects succession planning. Data were collected from 200 operational managers across 41 hotels, analyzed using IBM SPSS 26.0. Subsequently, the software was utilized to conduct descriptive analysis primarily using mean (M) and standard deviation (SD). These findings illustrate how workplace envy can manifest in different attitudes and behaviors, with some items indicating potential motivation for personal growth and others reflecting negative emotions or disagreement with envious actions. The study concludes that workplace envy can hinder succession planning but can also drive self-improvement. These indicate that while succession planning efforts are generally acknowledged, there is variability in how consistently these practices are perceived and implemented across different hotels.