There is an NPC named Franklin Teek in the Plane of Knowledge that will tell you what the current hot zones are and also give you some quests for them. I have not tried the quests yet. He is located right in front of the zone in to the Guild Loby.
Franklin Teek – Hotzone NPC
Previous post: EQ Traders Corner In-Game Recipe Lookup
Next post: Lake Of Ill Omen Hotzone Drop