Bharti, TeenaOjha, Satish Chandra2026-01-272024-10-021741-1009https://doi.org/10.1504/IJKL.2024.141805http://idr.iimbg.ac.in:4000/handle/123456789/1338The face of the hospitality sector in India is continuously changing and in times of career transitiveness, it is important to know the factors that support a successful career. The current research aims to explore the relationship between career planning, employee optimism, career adaptability and career satisfaction in the Indian hospitality sector. The study included 283 employees from Indian hospitality sector. Additionally, the study used SEM and bootstrap method to measure the dual mediating relationship between career planning, employee optimism dimensions, career adaptability dimensions, and career satisfaction in Indian setting. The results indicated that optimism dimensions and career adaptability dimensions partially mediate the relationship between career planning and career satisfaction in Indian hospitality sector. The study suggests useful implications for academia and industrial purpose. The limitations and future research avenues have been discussed. The study would contribute to the sparse literature on employee optimism, career planning, career adaptability and subjective career success. It would contribute to the social cognitive career theory (SCCT).enCareer adaptabilityCareer planningCareer satisfactionEmployee optimismIndian hospitality sectorSocial cognitiveCareer theorySCCTArticle