Beowulf travels to Heorot because he has heard what Grendel has been doing -- how Grendel has been killing Hrothgar's men. He goes to Heorot because he wants to test his skill and bravery against the monster and show Grendel how powerful the Geats are.
What this tells us about Beowulf is that he is motivated by a desire for glory. He is coming not so much to save Hrothgar's people as to show his own prowess.
We can see this from what he says to Hrothgar when they meet. Beowulf asks him for a favor and the favor is to allow him to go after Grendel. He will not fight Grendel with weapons because Grendel does not use them.
So, once again, Beowulf is coming looking for glory (so it would be a favor to let him fight the monster), not to save Hrothgar's men (if he were there to save them, he'd kill Grendel whatever way he could).
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