diff --git a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
index 202ae7ee61..7012421a44 100644
--- a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
+++ b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
     when: inventory_hostname.find('.stg.') != -1
 
   - name: halt the vm instances - to poweroff
-    command: /sbin/shutdown -h now
+    command: /sbin/shutdown -h 1
     ignore_errors: true
     # if one of them is down we don't care