PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine performance differentials in the hospitality industry through organisational culture.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted the positivism philosophy, thus relying on the quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire was deployed to gather data from 162 sampled respondents.FindingsThe study finds that mission, involvement and consistency as dimensions of organisational culture have a significant positive relationship with performance of the hotels. However, adaptability as an organisational culture dimension has no statistically significant relation with performance.Practical implicationsThrough this study, key stakeholders in the hospitality industry will understand that deploying organisational culture in businesses is important in enhancing performance of businesses.Originality/valueThe study is underpinned by the organisational excellence theory, and its main contribution to the literature is by proposing that when firms deploy excellent cultural attributes, their performance will improve.