Success as island blocks top hotel (7)
I believe the answer is:
triumph
'success' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'island blocks top hotel' is the wordplay.
'island' becomes 'i' (geographical abbreviation).
'blocks' is an insertion indicator (the inside letters form a 'blockage').
'top' becomes 'trump' (both can mean to beat or outdo).
'hotel' becomes 'h' (phonetic alphabet).
'i' inserted inside 'trump' is 'triump'.
'triump'+'h'='TRIUMPH'
'as' is the link.
(Other definitions for triumph that I've seen before include "Conquer, prevail" , "Outstanding victory" , "motorbike" , "Crow" , "Great victory or achievement" .)