Or if you do want to invite someone for a drink, go somewhere public.

I agree with you, and that's indeed what is implied by my "a more intimate space". I meant a bar where you can create a two people bubble, with more overlapping of intimate space, rather than "come back to my room".

The error I see socially inexperienced people making over and over is presupposing that others have the same need and way of communicating that they have. It's not so, especially when dealing with a person of the opposite sex.

A good rule of thumb in these matters is to incrementally test for more intimacy in a gradual manner: