Work disengagement is a serious challenge for every organization; it is a barrier to employee sustainable performance and establishing a sustainable competitive advantage. This study explored how hotel employees’ work disengagement (WD) is affected by workplace bullying (WB), taking into account authentic leadership (AL) as a moderator. PLS-SEM technique is adopted and examined by WarpPLS 7.0 software. The full-time employees of 5-star independent hotels operating in Egypt represent the population of this study. A valid sample of 387 employees was obtained. Findings of the study demonstrated that WB positively correlates with WD. Findngs also showed a negative relationship between AL, WB, and WD. Furthermore, the results indicated that AL acts as a moderator and dampens the positive relationship between WB and WD. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AL, WB, and WD in the context of the hotel sector. In practice, the research offers hotel management guidelines for dealing with workplace bullying and disengagement, as well as maximizing the advantages of authentic leadership. The study offered insightful recommendations to lessen workplace bullying, which might enhance hotel staff members' well-being and sustainable performance. Limitations and prospective future research areas were also addressed.