I sometimes wear socks with my sandals but will never wear shorts at the same time.
I too have what I may say are 'soft feet' but I always consider this to be to my advantage when hiking as I believe soft flexible skin means less likelihood of blisters. Other people might disagree?
Can't offer a view about what 'hot spots' are, to my knowledge I've never experienced such a problem? I have experienced hot feet problems before though, usually a 'burning' sensation at my heel area which occurs when I'm forced to walk too far on tarmac or concrete. I then stop frequently, wash and massage my feet, change my socks and then move onto the next stop, or hopefully be able to walk on earth or grass again.