diff --git a/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go b/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
index 86ddf015b..8da66f0d2 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
@@ -302,6 +302,9 @@ func (d *ESX5Driver) CommHost(state multistep.StateBag) (string, error) {
 				if e.Timeout() {
 					log.Printf("Timeout connecting to %s", record["IPAddress"])
 					continue
+				} else if strings.Contains(e.Error(), "connection refused") {
+					log.Printf("Connection refused when connecting to: %s", record["IPAddress"])
+					continue
 				}
 			}
 		} else {