The hydrogenation of acetophenone and its derivatives was studied using several supported Ni catalysts. Ni supported on zeolite Y catalyst offered the best hydrogenation activity. However, the activity of this catalyst decreases significantly on recycle and the extent of deactivation differs with respect to the substrate investigated. It is shown in this paper that a bimetallic Ni-Pt catalyst gives improved stability on recycle for hydrogenation of acetophenone and its derivatives. The role of zeolite Y support and a strong synergistic effect in a bimetallic Ni-Pt catalyst has been discussed.