Where to stay in Barcelona?

Hotel Le Cathedral, near the cathederal. good location, nice hotel. No more pickpockets in Barcelona than anywhere else...just use common sense, no big pocketbooks with open tops hanging on your shoulder, etc. The hotel is a block or so off Las Ramblas, great to walk down to the ocean and back.

You didn't mention an area or your budget but I would recommend the Hotel Colon or Hotel Colon Regencia. Both are centrally located near the Ramblas and hop-on-hop-off stop and there is a wonderful little
Italian restaurant La Locandia just around the corner.

I stayed at hosteria grau this past Aug. The location was great. I stayed in a room that did not have a bathroom and it was around 40E a night. I do not know the cost but they had a number of rooms with bathrooms. I was on my own and returned to the hotel as late as 1 AM and felt safe. Hope it helps Wendy

We liked L'Antic Espai -- a small hotel, near Las Ramblas. It felt like a very safe area. They have single rooms available, and are very responsive to inquiries.

Not sure if you were connecting the two, but I would not recommend choosing where you stay based upon pickpocketing concerns. Whether you become a victim is based more on your behavior (do you wear a money belt, etc.) than where you stay or even where you go. Be smart but don't let these concerns dominate your stay. I must confess, I worried too much about pickpockets when my wife and I were there in 2005 and was constantly uneasy as a result. So I wish someone had given me that advice before we went. I went back on business in 2010 and had the chance to stay over for three days -- resolved to not worry about it so much. And it was fine, of course. I have stayed here on both my visits to Barcelona and found it to be a good value: http://www.hlloret.com/ This hotel is in an excellent location and is in Rick's book (or at least was in 2005).

Our budget for the hotel is about 100 Euro per night.
I am concern about the theft and the pickpocketers . To a point that it made me reconsider another place BUT I am taking the advice of VS - to be cautious yet to relax and enjoy Barcelona. Thanks.

We stayed down the coast at Sitges and took the train each day to Barcelona. That way we got the best of both worlds, the high energy and sights of the big city all day plus a beautiful seaside town to come home to and unwind by the beach and enjoy a totally different Mediterranean vibe. Sitges has a long promenade hugging the sea with beautiful beaches and great restaurants. I have recommended this to friends and everyone enjoyed this approach. We stayed at the Hotel Platjador, for photos and reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187502-d238620-Reviews-Hotel_Platjador-Sitges_Catalonia.html

Barcelona is as safe as any other big European city - in fact we have visited there twice and felt safer than in other cities. BUT ....follow the advice in Rick's book (Europe Thru the Back Door) and other poster and just be alert and all will be fine. If you use a money belt for the things that really count (passport, debt cards, etc) and keep only a small amount of cash in your pockets, the worse that will happen is you will have a "feel" by a dishonest European. We split the cash we think we will need for the day between the 2 of us - and I use a safety pin on my pocket or add a button before leaving home which would make it difficult for the pickpockets but no problem for me to get into pockets. Using good common sense makes travel to places marvelous Barcelona a breeze. We stayed in a hotel from RS's book and it was great - I don't have his Spain book (gave it to another traveler as we were leaving there the last time) and neither of us remember the name of it. But I would definitely stay close to the Placa Catalunya or La Rambles to be able to truly feel the city. The market on the Rambles (close to the Placa) is a great spot for breakfast, picnic lunch shopping, etc and the environment is a real WOW.
Happy travels.

Agree, you can get pick pocketed anywhere in the world. Just be careful with valuables as you would any place. Be aware of groups of girls, women coming up to you wanting to get you to sign petition or donate to something. While one distracts you another is "working her craft", especially around tourist places. Happened to friends twice but they were very of what was going on and had no problem. Relax and enjoy.