diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.java
index b4f85a8b..0a307518 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2013 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2013-2015 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import org.springframework.hateoas.hal.HalLinkDiscoverer;
 import org.springframework.hateoas.hal.Jackson2HalModule;
 import org.springframework.hateoas.mvc.TypeConstrainedMappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageConverter;
+import org.springframework.http.converter.json.Jackson2ObjectMapperFactoryBean;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.json.MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.plugin.core.PluginRegistry;
 import org.springframework.plugin.core.support.PluginRegistryFactoryBean;
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.client.RestTemplate;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.AnnotationMethodHandlerAdapter;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.DeserializationFeature;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 
 /**
@@ -116,6 +118,9 @@ class HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar implements ImportBeanDefinitionRe
 				BeanDefinitionBuilder halQueryMapperBuilder = rootBeanDefinition(ObjectMapper.class);
 				registerSourcedBeanDefinition(halQueryMapperBuilder, metadata, registry, HAL_OBJECT_MAPPER_BEAN_NAME);
 
+				BeanDefinitionBuilder customizerBeanDefinition = rootBeanDefinition(DefaultObjectMapperCustomizer.class);
+				registerSourcedBeanDefinition(customizerBeanDefinition, metadata, registry);
+
 				BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = rootBeanDefinition(Jackson2ModuleRegisteringBeanPostProcessor.class);
 				registerSourcedBeanDefinition(builder, metadata, registry);
 			}
@@ -307,4 +312,39 @@ class HypermediaSupportBeanDefinitionRegistrar implements ImportBeanDefinitionRe
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * {@link BeanPostProcessor} to disable the default HAL {@link ObjectMapper} to fail on unknown properties. Needed as
+	 * the methods to do that on {@link Jackson2ObjectMapperFactoryBean} were introduced in Spring 4.1 only.
+	 *
+	 * @author Oliver Gierke
+	 */
+	private static class DefaultObjectMapperCustomizer implements BeanPostProcessor {
+
+		/* 
+		 * (non-Javadoc)
+		 * @see org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanPostProcessor#postProcessAfterInitialization(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String)
+		 */
+		@Override
+		public Object postProcessAfterInitialization(Object bean, String beanName) throws BeansException {
+
+			if (!HAL_OBJECT_MAPPER_BEAN_NAME.equals(beanName)) {
+				return bean;
+			}
+
+			ObjectMapper mapper = (ObjectMapper) bean;
+			mapper.disable(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES);
+
+			return mapper;
+		}
+
+		/* 
+		 * (non-Javadoc)
+		 * @see org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanPostProcessor#postProcessBeforeInitialization(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String)
+		 */
+		@Override
+		public Object postProcessBeforeInitialization(Object bean, String beanName) throws BeansException {
+			return bean;
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/EnableHypermediaSupportIntegrationTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/EnableHypermediaSupportIntegrationTest.java
index a51983b9..22c56704 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/EnableHypermediaSupportIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/config/EnableHypermediaSupportIntegrationTest.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.AnnotationMethodHandlerAda
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.AbstractMessageConverterMethodArgumentResolver;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.DeserializationFeature;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 
 /**
@@ -135,6 +136,19 @@ public class EnableHypermediaSupportIntegrationTest {
 		context.close();
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see #341
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void configuresDefaultObjectMapperForHalToIgnoreUnknownProperties() {
+
+		AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(HalConfig.class);
+		ObjectMapper mapper = context.getBean("_halObjectMapper", ObjectMapper.class);
+
+		assertThat(mapper.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES), is(false));
+		context.close();
+	}
+
 	private static void assertEntityLinksSetUp(ApplicationContext context) {
 
 		Map<String, EntityLinks> discoverers = context.getBeansOfType(EntityLinks.class);