Throughout the Odyssey, hospitality to strangers, given by examples such as king Menelaus' gifts to Telemachus in the course of his voyages as well as the clothes that are awarded to Odysseus by the group of women who find him washed up at the river, is the norm for all of society. Though perhaps part of the ancient Greek culture or just that in our modern and more advanced culture we are suspicious of the good Samaritan, it becomes obvious that the characters of the novel employ large amounts of wealth to please their guests with gifts, clothes, meals and other such material possessions.
The idea that Gods could disguise themselves as humans and intermingle in ancient Greece likely caused a sense of fear and yearning to prove their moral superiority in Odysseus' society, thus people sacrificed material wealth on any strangers, whether they were royalty such as Telemachus and Odysseus or poor travelers. In the Odyssey, Athena and various other Gods disguise themselves as humans, often acting in similar ways as humans since they have their own petty brawls, are easily offended and carry grudges against humans. In a way, the Odyssey is the tale of an unheroic act inflicted upon Odysseus after he kills the Cyclops, since Poseidon morns the death of his son and places many obstacles on Odysseus' plans to return.
Various kings in the novel are noted to be especially generous, yet their generosity is only possible since they have large amounts of excess wealth and little to do with it. Therefore, they simply want to show their gratefulness for having been born into this wealth by allowing others access to said wealth. Yet another possibility for their generosity is the fact that they all wanted to obtain information and listen to the travel stories of others since few changes occurred on a regular basis in their home kingdoms and towns, thus paying for information and entertainment from travelers in a way. Regardless of the motives behind the generous ways of the royalty, the result is a much safer and welcoming society for travelers upon their entrance into societies, as well as a very different way of thinking from our own.
We do see the ethic of hospitality extended into more humbler corners of society as well--as when Eumaeus the loyal swineherd hosts Odysseus-incognito. This clearly is a larger social expectation that the poem is communicating, and it doesn't solely apply to kings. But you're right that their reasons for hosting aren't simply a matter of social obligation--it is fun to host a visitor, hear a few stories, pass around some choice cuts of loin and a goblet of wine. The kingdoms Telemachus and Odysseus visit all do seem perfectly happy to host them--that's part of hospitality, to not make it seem like an obligation.
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