While originally from the country, coming to Wellington from the coast was a big change for Mel Booth who said that managing a hotel was a lot of work.

"You can't just walk away from it and expect it to run itself," she said.

"You have got to be on the ball 24/7."

Leaving was a hard decision to make, but after her son Blake Shearan passed away in 2011, she felt it was time for a change and she was also looking for more opportunities for their son Jarrad.

Looking back, she said it was the people she would miss the most - especially the "Feddy Family" which includes all staff who have ever worked at the Federal.

The hotel, still owned by Jan and Mal Scott will now be managed by Vanessa McGeorge.

Mel and Matt are now looking forward to stepping out on their own to manage the Imperial in Armidale, encouraging people to drop by if they are ever in the area.

"You hear a lot of interesting stories and people you know always come through," Mel said.

"I also want to thank everyone for their friendship and patronage," she said.

"We will really miss the people."