If you have a guest Windows VM running, you can shut it from the host command line like this:
# VBoxManage controlvm "windows server 2012" acpipowerbutton # vboxmanage guestcontrol "windows server 2012" run --exe "%SystemRoot%\system32\shutdown.exe" \ --username Administrator --password Abcd1234 -- shutdown.exe -s -f -t 0
acpibutton does not always work, but the second one appears to work every time.