diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/core/AnnotationMappingDiscoverer.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/core/AnnotationMappingDiscoverer.java
index cd794b4b..7401e4d5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/core/AnnotationMappingDiscoverer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/core/AnnotationMappingDiscoverer.java
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ public class AnnotationMappingDiscoverer implements MappingDiscoverer {
 	 * @return
 	 */
 	private static String join(String typeMapping, String mapping) {
-		return typeMapping.concat("/").concat(mapping);
+		return mapping.isBlank() ? typeMapping : typeMapping.concat("/").concat(mapping);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/mvc/WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/mvc/WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest.java
index e074bd9d..d79cccf7 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/mvc/WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/server/mvc/WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest.java
@@ -748,7 +748,18 @@ class WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest extends TestUtils {
 					linkTo(methodOn(ControllerWithPathVariableCatchAll.class).test("first", it[0])).withSelfRel().getHref())
 							.endsWith(it[1]);
 		});
+	}
 
+	@Test // #1886
+	void doesNotAppendTrailingSlashForEmptyMapping() {
+
+		var controller = methodOn(PersonController.class);
+
+		assertThat(linkTo(controller.getMappingWithoutPath()).toString())
+				.isEqualTo("http://localhost/people");
+
+		assertThat(linkTo(controller.getMappingWithEmptyPath()).toString())
+				.isEqualTo("http://localhost/people");
 	}
 
 	private static UriComponents toComponents(Link link) {
@@ -760,7 +771,18 @@ class WebMvcLinkBuilderUnitTest extends TestUtils {
 	}
 
 	@RequestMapping("/people")
-	interface PersonController {}
+	interface PersonController {
+
+		@GetMapping
+		default Object getMappingWithoutPath() {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		@GetMapping("")
+		default Object getMappingWithEmptyPath() {
+			return null;
+		}
+	}
 
 	class PersonControllerImpl implements PersonController {}