diff --git a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
index 8ee692f75f..34c59db508 100644
--- a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
+++ b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@
     ignore_errors: true
     when: nonagios is not defined or not nonagios
 
-  - name: halt the vm instances - to poweroff
-    command: /sbin/shutdown -h 1
+  - name: shutdown vms
+    virt: command=shutdown name={{ inventory_hostname }}
     ignore_errors: true
-    # if one of them is down we don't care
+    delegate_to: "{{ target }}"
 
 - name: wait for the whole set to die.
   hosts: myvms_new