We went with recessed lighting when we remodeled the master bedroom. One in each corner. Best I can tell, they're about 3' out from the corners. Ours are on dimmers but provide the entire room wiht plenty of light when it's needed. Bedside lamps are still needed for good reading light.
Monica

E gads I have trouble with this idea. I actually took out four of them (in the corners) as they're about as bedroom like as umm well can's can be. I totally get them in a kitchen, but a bedroom shouldn't have spotlights anywhere in the room. It was done a lot, but now a days they're coming out of private areas. A mix of fixtures and lamps is much more appropriate to a bedroom (IMO)

I asked a similar question not long ago about light in my MB. You might find some of the responses in that thread helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bedroom Lighting Thread

Our recessed lights don't give a "spotlight" appearance at all. What they do is offer plenty of light to every square inch of the room. They're usually not on as bright as they can go since we like a soft light but sometimes you need/want more light. There are no dark corners with the recessed placement like there can be with a center light. Even with a center fixture, beside lamps are still needed for good reading light.
Monica

How big is the room? If not too big, go with one light in the center. You may want to add a ceiling fan in the future so make sure the junction box he puts in there is attached to a joist so you can hold up a fan. Bedside tables and lamps or swing lamps attached to the wall are nice in the bedroom.

The contractor is suggesting to use MR-16s, is that a good type to go with?

IMO it's totally personal taste which you pick. Cans are very much "in" now, which is probably why your contractor suggested them. I hate them with great passion :-) especially in old houses and don't give a rat's rump what's popular - I would much rather have a very pretty center fixture (not those dreary and cheap-looking "glass dish" things) or an attractive ceiling fan with lighting as another decorative element for the room along with bedside lamps, but obviously many other people love the cans!

Interesting how it's like 50-50 on what people prefer. I'm a little worried that with a center light, when she sits at her desk her body will block the light. I know you can get a table lamp, but if I could just solve that issue with 4 cans that might be the way to go. OTOH it is more expensive. I have no idea what to do. Maybe I'll wait a few months and see how it goes with no ceiling lights.

We struggled with the same decision and ended up putting in both. The room is pretty large with vaulted ceilings. So as much as I don't really like the look of recessed lights in the bedroom, we would have needed a lot of lamps in addition to the center fixture to really light up the room. We have a desk in there and use it as a second home office space so we really do need to get it well lit at times. Other times we just use the center fixture. So it depends a lot on your use and the size of the room.

We elected to go only with the center fixture in my daughters' rooms which are still a decent good size (14x13 or so) and I always feel like they're not well enough lit for playing/reading. Kind of wish we'd put in the recessed there as well.

This room is around 13x10 so not that big. Seems like a center one would work in this case other that blocking issue when working at the desk.

She should have focused task lighting at the desk anyway, no matter what you decide for overall room lighting. That way she can have localized bright light for reading and writing while not having the entire room lit up like an operating room (which wastes electricity as well as just being aesthetically unpleasant). If she uses a computer at this desk, glare on the screen from overhead lighting can cause painful eye strain and headaches. Attractive adjustable desk lamps can be very inexpensive or cost a mint depending on what you get and where - if the desk is small and you don't want to waste space on a lamp, a swing-arm lamp mounted on the wall is an excellent solution. Many of that style are corded so you don't have to worry about fishing wires around in the walls. Lamps that take a three-way bulb are particularly good for task lighting.

Good point johnmari, now I'm leaning back towards a central light. People are very persuasive here!

This is a personal issue. We put them in our master bedroom and I regret it because I dislike looking at bare bulbs when I am in bed. I prefer a center light (for quick room illumination) and bedside lights (for reading and general ambiance). DH, on the other hand, likes the cans.