Shares in holiday rental company Airbnb have surged on their first day of public trading.

At the close of the day, the organisation had a valuation of more than $100 billion.

The massive listing - the biggest of the year in the United States - raised $3.5 billion for the company at the end of what has been a challenging year.

Airbnb said it would use the money to help it survive the pandemic, which has devastated travel.

Demand for shares in the company saw the price of a share more than double from the initial offering of $68 apiece.

Airbnb bookings crashed this spring, forcing it to slash staff numbers by 25 per cent and raise $2 billion in emergency funds.

Last month, the firm said travel had returned somewhat over the summer, as people looked to escape locked down cities with long-term rentals within driving distance.

The company reported a surprise profit for the July, August and September months.

But the firm has warned that renewed lockdowns in many places will weigh on recovery.